Met Police misconduct probe over handling of Al Fayed abuse allegations

A serving Metropolitan Police officer and four former officers are being investigated for potential misconduct over how reports of sexual abuse allegations against Mohamed Al Fayed were handled.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct said it is directing the investigation.

The watchdog said five individuals have been advised they are under investigation, but it has not yet decided whether any current or former officers have, or would have had, a disciplinary case to answer.

The probe concerns complaints made by four individuals.

The investigation is being carried out by the Met's Directorate of Professional Standards under the IOPC's direction and control.

The Met said it is assisting the watchdog and that the serving of notices does not mean misconduct proceedings will necessarily follow.

The case matters because it adds a formal police misconduct inquiry to wider scrutiny of how allegations against the former Harrods owner were handled before and after his death in 2023.

Public claims about Al Fayed's conduct emerged after a documentary broadcast in September 2024.

The Met said it had been approached by 21 women before Al Fayed died, accusing him of offences including rape, sexual assault and trafficking.

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