“Worrying” similarities between abuse allegations against Evelyn de Rothschild and Mohamed Al Fayed, say lawyers

De Rothschild, who died two years ago, has been accused of exploiting his position at NM Rothschild to abuse women who worked with him. The claims come from several women who said they felt unable to raise their concerns while he was still alive, because of his position within the bank and the British establishment.

Reports have indicated that De Rothschild would allegedly “take his pick” of junior staff and pay them marked attention before behaving inappropriately. This pattern bears a striking resemblance to the allegations against Mohamed Al Fayed. The former owner of Harrods would (reportedly) select young women working in his employ, summoning them to private meetings and offering money or lucrative employment, before engaging in unwanted sexual behaviour.

Lawyers at Leigh Day say both cases illustrate how important it is to uncover the structures surrounding powerful abusers. They are calling for a public inquiry into alleged failings by the police and the role of others who facilitated the alleged abuse, such as doctors who conducted sexual health examinations on Harrods workers and told Al Fayed the results without informed consent.

The women currently represented by Leigh Day in their claims for compensation, allege psychological abuse, sexual assault and human trafficking while working at Harrods and related businesses in the Fayed organisation.

Lawyers say this week’s news of allegations against Evelyn de Rothschild underlines the case for a full inquiry into the structures that surround wealthy and influential abusers, and why so many women are silenced or ignored in the face of powerful establishments.

Richard Meeran, joint head of Leigh Day’s international department, said:

“For decades women have been denied justice due to fear from powerful persecutors, and failures by those organisations and individuals who turned a blind eye to their experiences, from senior personnel to the Metropolitan police. There is a serious public interest in scrutinising those systems that continue to facilitate impunity for sexual abusers”