Five women who have accused Mohamed Al Fayed of sexual abuse have spoken to the BBC about their experiences.

Fayed was a businessman who owned Harrods between 1985 and 2010 and was the father of Dodi Fayed, who died in a car crash with Princess Diana in 1997.

He died in September 2023 at the age of 94.

Since then, the BBC has heard testimony from 20 female ex-employees of Harrods who claim the billionaire sexually assaulted or raped them.

The current owners of Harrods say they are "utterly appalled" by the allegations and that his alleged victims had been failed.

Five of the women accusing Fayed of sexual abuse spoke to BBC Breakfast today (Wednesday, September 25) about their experiences.

'I thought I was going on a business trip to Paris but I was being trafficked'

Lindsay is one of the women accusing Fayed of sexual abuse, who worked for him as a personal assistant for five months between 1989 and 1990.

She discussed that she went on what she thought was a business trip but soon realised that "actually I was being trafficked".

Lindsay recalled being out to dinner with Fayed and several others. During the meal, she was tapped on the shoulder by a security guard and taken to Dodi's - Fayed's son - flat.

As she walked in the door was locked behind her and the security guard told her "Oh, it's just to keep you safe", says Lindsay.

"But actually it was to make sure you couldn't escape... it was the most terrifying night of my life."

It is not known if Dodi Fayed was in the flat at the time.

Meanwhile, Jen worked for Mohamed Al Fayed for almost five years and said she was subjected to several serious sexual assaults and attempted rape.

She said she has lived with what happened to her for 35 years and hadn't "told a soul" because Fayed "still felt like a threat until the moment he died".

His death in September 2023 "helped me to come forward without any fear," she added.

Jen said she is speaking out now about what happened as she "would like to appeal to anyone else who has been through something like this to come forward".

Katherine shared that she worked as a senior PA for Fayed for three months in 2005.

She said the first week was humiliating, with Fayed commenting on her appearance, ripping the buttons off her shirt, giving her money to buy new clothes, asking her to straighten her hair and sending her to get her lips waxed.

"I ended up with a lot of suits," Katherine told the BBC, adding that by the end of the first week she was shattered.

Additionally, she went to Paris with him, where she didn't feel safe as her hotel room door did not lock and she had to barricade herself in for safety.

Nicole worked for Mohamed Al Fayed as his executive assistant between 2005 and 2007, and worked at the same time as Katherine.

She recalls how there was a "palpable sense of anxiety" in the office "that you could really feel... like a hum in the air", as no one knew what sort of a mood Fayed would be in each day.

"It was a battle to come out the other side smiling," she says.

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Finally, Gemma claimed that Fayed raped her in Paris whilst she worked for the Harrods boss as one of his PAs between 2007 and 2009.

She said his behaviour became more frightening during work trips abroad.

"It's something that's probably never going to go away," Gemma said, adding that being able to come out and speak about it is helpful.

"These women have been amazing support," she said, but added that the trauma from the abuse is "life-long".