Paul Gascoigne’s daughter says she was groomed and sexually assaulted by Al Fayed
British model Bianca Gascoigne has said she was groomed and sexually assaulted by Mohamed al Fayed when she worked at Harrods as a teenager.
Warning: This article contains details readers may find distressing
The 37-year-old, who is the daughter of England football legend Paul Gascoigne, had visited the luxury department store in Knightsbridge with her parents when she was growing up and said Al Fayed would be “charming” and bring them gifts.
Speaking publicly about it for the first time on The UK Tonight with Sarah-Jane Mee, she said this meant by the time she joined Harrods aged 16 she felt “safe” in his presence.
However, when she started working for the Egyptian businessman she claimed he would grope her and force her to kiss him during their weekly meetings.
She said she felt trapped and frightened and one night he offered her the Harrods Park Lane apartment to stay in before a flight.
Mohamed al Fayed. Pic: AP
In an emotional interview, Gascoigne said: “[Al Fayed] turned up at the apartment to my shock, I was just gobsmacked, I was kind of very shell-shocked.
“I just didn’t really know what to do, he came in and then he sat me down on the sofa… he got his privates out and got my hands and was trying to manoeuvre them on his parts.
“When that didn’t work he was trying to force my head on to his lap.
“And I don’t know how but I managed to wiggle away.
“And I think possibly you know, that him knowing my parents… I don’t know, that might have saved me at that moment. But it was horrific.”
A string of allegations against Al Fayed have emerged since the release of an investigation by the BBC. He died last year aged 94.
The Metropolitan Police said it had recorded 60 allegations against Al Fayed since the BBC documentary, including claims of rape and sexual assault. Those are in addition to the 21 women who went to the police between 2005 and 2023 with sex crime allegations against the businessman.
On Monday Harrods said more than 250 people are part of its process to settle compensation claims over Al Fayed’s alleged sexual misconduct.
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Bianca Gascoigne. Pic: PA
‘I didn’t want to bring embarrassment and shame’
Gascoigne had joined Harrods as a shop floor worker but was later promoted to her “dream” job of becoming a fashion buyer.
But she said no one in her life knew what was going on – not even her mum and dad. She said the shame stopped her from telling anyone.
“Obviously, I loved my job because it’s exactly what I wanted to do – that was my dream,” she said.
“And, you know, he’s doing all these things to me. And I was close to people that he knew, and I felt like I couldn’t even tell them either, because I didn’t want to bring embarrassment and shame.”
Gascoigne worried about losing her job if she spoke out
She said while the alleged abuse was being carried out she was “trying to work out what was going on” and was worried about losing her job.
“[Al Fayed] told me that if I would say anything that I would lose my job,” she said. “So I just got really scared, at 16 turning 17, you think you know what’s going on at the time but you really don’t.
“I look back now and just feel very sorry for my 16-year-old self and wish I could protect her.”
Paul Gascoigne in June 2023. Pic: PA
‘He used to tell me [my father] was an embarrassment
Gascoigne also said Al Fayed would make derogatory comments about her father, whose mental health and addiction problems are well documented, when he allegedly started grooming her shortly before she joined Harrods.
She continued: “[Al Fayed] used to tell me how much of a bad father my dad was because he used to come into the store drunk, and he used to tell me [my father] was an embarrassment.”
She said Al Fayed told her she should see himself as a “father figure” instead and she felt a “false sense of security with him early doors”.
‘I feel like I have to do this’
Gascoigne recently had a daughter and decided she wanted to speak out after seeing other alleged victims of Al Fayed come forward.
She said: “I feel like I have to do this, like I want to do this.
“I want to stand for the women and, you know, hopefully make any kind of change so that in the future my daughter won’t have to go through something like this… and these predators won’t be able to get away with what they are getting away with.”
Sky News has contacted Harrods for comment.
The department store has previously said it is “utterly appalled” by similar allegations and said it is a “very different organisation to the one owned and controlled by al Fayed between 1985 and 2010”.
Watch Bianca Gascoigne’s full interview on The UK Tonight With Sarah-Jane Mee from 8pm on Sky News
UK
Newcastle: Three men arrested in connection with deadly house explosion and on suspicion of cannabis production
Three men have been arrested in connection with a deadly house explosion in Newcastle.
Seven-year-old Archie York and Jason Laws, who was in his 30s, were killed following the blast in Violet Close, in the Benwell and Elswick area of the city in October.
Police said at the time that six others were taken to hospital “with varying injuries” after the blast and subsequent fire.
Three men – two in their 30s and one in his 50s – have been arrested on suspicion of two counts of manslaughter, and the production of a Class B drug, namely cannabis, Northumbria Police said.
They all remain in police custody.
Detective Chief Inspector Katie Smith said: “This has been a truly tragic incident which resulted in the loss of two lives.
“As a result of our ongoing enquiries, three men have today been arrested in connection with the explosion.
“Our investigation will remain ongoing as we seek to provide answers to what has happened.
“We would continue to ask people to avoid speculation surrounding this incident both online and in the community.”
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From October: Deadly blast destroys Newcastle house
The blast tore through a row of six properties divided into two flats each.
Drone footage showed how six flats in the middle of the building appeared to have been completely destroyed by the explosion and fire, while piles of debris could be seen in the street outside.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Superintendent Darren Adams, from Northumbria Police, said on the day of the fire: “As a result of the incident in the early hours of this morning, a seven-year-old boy has sadly passed away.
“Despite the efforts of the emergency services, he tragically died at the scene.
“This is a truly devastating outcome.”
Prince William has given an update on the Princess of Wales’s health, describing her as “amazing”.
Ahead of tonight’s Earthshot Prize awards in Cape Town, he was asked how his wife Kate was doing and replied: “She’s doing really well thanks. Hopefully she’s watching tonight and cheering me on.
“She’s been amazing this whole year and I know she’ll be really keen to see tonight be a success.”
Kate revealed in March she was having preventative chemotherapy following the discovery of pre-cancerous cells.
In September, she announced she had completed her treatment and said her focus now is on “staying cancer free”.
Throughout the year, Prince William hasn’t discussed his wife’s diagnosis, despite still continuing with his own public duties.
William and Kate at a community engagement last month. Pic: Andrew Parsons/Kensington Palace
William answered questions after taking part in rehearsals for tonight’s Earthshot Awards, the environmental prize he launched in 2021 to try to inject some optimism into the climate crisis debate.
Since he’s been in Cape Town he’s been spotted wearing a bracelet with the word ‘papa’ on it, given to him by his daughter Princess Charlotte.
He explained: “This is a relic from a Taylor Swift concert that my daughter decided that she wanted to create a bracelet for, and she gave it to me when I came away so I’ve promised her that I’d wear it and try not to lose it while I was out here.”
He also shared how he’s trying to make sure his three children feel involved in his environmental work, including doing things around the house.
The Prince of Wales in Cape Town today. Pic: PA
The prince said: “Every family tries to do what they can to help with the environment and we go through the basics of recycling and making sure we minimise water use, turning lights off when you leave the house. We’re sensible with what we do around the environment. I think every family has those conversations.
“The Earthshot is trying to be more global than that – we’re trying to do big-scale ambition and business. I’ve brought the children along on that journey and I hope they’re proud of what we are trying to do here which is to galvanise that energy and enthusiasm to make real impact.”
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Asked about the tough political climate for the environment right now, Prince William didn’t make any comment about the US election result and Donald Trump’s climate credentials, but said: “Everyone wants some hope and some optimism and Earthshot comes with urgent optimism.
“And as you’ll see tonight the amount of youth from Africa who will be in here – they’ll be letting you know and letting everyone know that it matters to them.
“Without them, the future is looking pretty bleak so these are the game changers, the innovators, the inventors who are going to make the world a better place for us in future.”
The annual Earthshot Prize awards five entrepreneurs, innovators, startups or conservationists with £1m each to help scale their ideas to tackle some of the world’s most pressing environmental issues.
This is the fourth year the awards have been held.
Sara Sharif’s father has told a court he did not beat the 10-year-old girl, claiming his wife was “very, very, crazy” and accusing her of abuse.
Taxi driver Urfan Sharif, his wife Beinash Batool and brother Faisal Malik are on trial at the Old Bailey accused of Sara’s murder in August last year.
Sara was found dead in bed at the family’s home in Woking, Surrey, after Sharif called police from Pakistan and said he had beaten her “too much”.
A post-mortem found dozens of injuries, including burns and human bite marks.
Giving evidence in court on Wednesday, Sharif said: “Everything happened at home while I was at work.
“I did not beat her, do anything to her.”
(L-R) Urfan Sharif, Beinash Batool and Faisal Malik deny murder. Pics: Surrey Police
In WhatsApp messages to her sisters, Batool claimed her husband had beaten his daughter “like crazy” over at least two years.
Sharif denied this and instead alleged his wife – who was Sara’s stepmother – was “very, very crazy”, highlighting video evidence allegedly showing she abused him.
He said he recorded the incidents “so that she (would) leave me alone” and “stop what she was doing”.
The taxi driver alleged his wife did not “care about anything at all” and claimed her family said: “Someone has done black magic on her.”
Sharif became emotional as he told jurors: “I used to jump through the kitchen window as she would lock the front door.
“Most of the time when she was angry, I jumped through the living room window.”
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The court was shown two videos from Sharif’s Google drive. One was filmed in February 2016 after his wife accused him of flirting with a hospital nurse, he said.
In the video, he could be heard saying: “You are pushing me. You are abusing me. Get off me.
“You are hitting me. I’m going to use this as evidence I’m telling you now.”
Batool demanded for him to stop filming and said: “I ain’t scared of you.”
Addressing what the video showed, Sharif told the court: “She kicked me. I ran to the other room, she is standing in front of the door so I cannot leave.”
A second video, dated 26 June 2019, saw Sharif repeatedly asking his wife to “let me go” before jumping out of a window.
He told jurors Batool “slapped” him, adding: “You have a choice either to fight with that person or leave.
“I tried to leave but she locked the front door. I jumped through the kitchen window.”
Sharif, 42, Batool, 30, and Malik, 29, deny murder and causing or allowing the death of a child between 16 December 2022 and 9 August 2023.
The trial continues.
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