Anne-Marie thought she landed her 'dream job' at Harrods. It was the start of a nightmare.

Content warning: this post includes descriptions of alleged sexual assault.

When 21-year-old Anne-Marie Kruk packed up her life in Canberra to move to London, she was excited to land a job at Harrods. It was a place of high esteem, where celebrities came to visit and standards were upheld.

Or so she thought.

Instead, it marked the beginning of a harrowing tale of alleged abuse. And she's not alone.

Listen to Mamamia's news podcast The Quicky discuss the dark truth of Harrods.

The luxurious department store was reportedly a predator's playground, where its owner, Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed, allegedly groomed and sexually abused hundreds of women.

"You were kind of being sold into being a sex object without your knowledge," Anne-Marie told 60 Minutes.

More than 250 women have come forward since the BBC unveiled initial allegations against the now-deceased businessman.

Watch the trailer for 60 Minutes Australia's Horror at Harrods special. Post continues below.

For Anne-Marie, the alleged abuse began when she was offered a job as an assistant in Al Fayed's office in 2005.

She was told she'd have to undertake a "routine" medical exam by doctors on Harrods' payroll. It was sold as a perk of the job, but she claims there was a sinister motive.

"Because he was a serial sexual abuser, it was obvious that he was doing it to make sure that if he decided to do something with you, that you were clean," she told 60 Minutes.

Australian woman Kim* claims the same thing happened to her in 1994.

The women told 60 Minutes neither knew the screening would be a gynaecological examination, nor did they consent to their results being given to their boss, Al Fayed.

It was then the alleged assaults began.

Anne-Marie moved from Canberra to London at 21. Image: 60 Minutes.

He promised to help their careers, offered them money and presents. It only evolved from there.

Kim alleges that Al Fayed assaulted her in his office at every opportunity, attacking her up to "two to three times a week".

"He would grab my breasts, squeeze, grope my breasts," she said. "He would make noises as he did so, clearly getting pleasure, satisfaction."

Within the walls of Al Fayed's Mayfair apartment and offices, he unleashed his worst, allegedly attempting to rape Kim twice and Anne-Marie once.

"I just remember being fixated on the ceiling and trying to go somewhere else, trying to take myself somewhere else," Kim told 60 Minutes.

Mohamed Al Fayed died in 2023. Image: Getty.

The women are not the only ones to come forward with harrowing stories of alleged abuse.

Prior to Al Fayed's death in 2023 at the age of 94, Al Fayed had previously been accused of sexually assaulting and groping multiple women.

A 2015 police investigation did not lead to any charges.

Then, in 2024, more than 20 women spoke to the BBC as part of a special investigation, coming forward with allegations of sexual assault and physical violence at properties in London and Paris.

The allegations were brought to light in the documentary and podcast Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods.

Watch part of the BBC investigation. Post continues below.

Five of the women interviewed by the BBC alleged they had been raped by Al Fayed.

One woman alleged she was raped after staying at one of Al Fayed's apartments following a late shift at work.

"I made it obvious that I didn't want that to happen. I did not give consent. I just wanted it to be over," she said.

"I remember feeling his body on me, the weight of him. Just hearing him make these noises. And just going somewhere else in my head. He raped me."

Multiple women claim the billionaire sexually assaulted them at 'Villa Windsor' located in Paris' Bois de Boulogne park.

The lavish 14-room mansion was the home of post-abdication King Edward VIII and his wife Wallis Simpson. Al Fayed had taken out a 50-year lease on the 14-room, 19th century villa.

Another woman, who worked as one of Al Fayed's personal assistants between 2007 and 2009, alleged that his behaviour became "more frightening" during work trips abroad.

She alleged that after Al Fayed sexually assaulted her in Paris, he told her to "wash herself with Dettol", as per the BBC investigation.

Anne-Marie said the abuse made her feel 'dirty'. Image: 60 Minutes.

Kim and Anne-Marie are among the women being represented by the Justice for Harrods Survivors legal team.

Barrister Maria Mulla told 60 Minutes the team was representing more than 250 survivors who were allegedly abused during a period from the late 1980s to just past 2010.

"Abuse over such a long period of time, never before has there ever been a case which has had so much abuse, but also in a work setting, an employer-employee context," she said.

Al Fayed moved to the UK in 1974 and was already a well-known public figure when he took over Harrods in 1985.

In the 1990s and 2000s, he would regularly appear as a guest on prime-time TV chat and entertainment shows.

He was often adjacent to the British Royal Family — his son Dodi was killed in a car crash alongside his girlfriend Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997.

Princess Diana with Mohammed Al Fayed attending a charity dinner held at Harrods in February 1996. Image: Getty.

Al Fayed was also depicted in the latest instalment of Netflix's The Crown. Many of the women levelling allegations against Al Fayed have criticised his "pleasant and gregarious" TV depiction.

Harrods has since released a statement saying they are "utterly appalled" by the allegations of abuse.

"The Harrods of today is a very different organisation to the one owned and controlled by Al Fayed between 1985 and 2010," they said.

"These were the actions of an individual who was intent on abusing his power wherever he operated and we condemn them in the strongest terms. We also acknowledge that during this time as a business we failed our employees who were his victims and for this we sincerely apologise."

Since the historic allegations came to light, Harrods said it has been their "priority to settle claims in the quickest way possible, avoiding lengthy legal proceedings for the women involved".

*Name changed for privacy reasons.

With AAP.

This article was published in September 2024 and has been updated.

If this has raised any issues for you, or if you just feel like you need to speak to someone, please call 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – the national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service.

Feature Image: Getty.