London police apologised on Saturday (August 15, 2026) after email addresses of complainants alleging sexual abuse by the late Harrods owner Mohamed Al-Fayed were accidentally shared with those on a communications distribution list containing victims and others.
“The incident is being investigated as a matter of priority, and we are reviewing our processes to help prevent a similar breach from happening again. Multiple complaints were made against him before his death, but none led to prosecution. To date, some 157 victims have reported allegations to the police of sexual assault, rape, sexual exploitation and human trafficking in relation to Fayed, who died aged 94 in 2023. The late Egyptian business tycoon bought Harrods in 1985, after acquiring the Ritz hotel in Paris.
The data breach occurred on Tuesday (August 11), when the Metropolitan Police sent a monthly update to victims but failed to hide — or “blind cc” — recipients’ email addresses, leaving them visible to others on the list. “The issue was identified quickly and immediate action was taken,” it added, noting that those affected had been contacted “directly on the day of the incident”.
