Close relationship between Mohamed al Fayed and police ‘felt corrupt’, says former detective
The close ties between Mohamed al Fayed’s Harrods shop and the Metropolitan Police “felt like a corrupt relationship,” a former chief superintendent in the force has said.
The Met Police had a “special relationship” with the luxury department store “which benefits both us and them,” Stephen Otter said he was told by another officer in 1999.
He told Sky News the force would “provide additional resources at Christmas” and in return “hampers were provided” and officers “had lots of drinks paid for”.
It comes as five women who used to work at the luxury department store have alleged they were raped by Fayed.
And more than 100 women have come forward to say they were assaulted or to give evidence to lawyers. Police are appealing for any “potential victim survivors” to come forward so they can investigate.
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When Mr Otter became borough commander for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in 1999, the Met Police had an Austin Mini Metro with a Harrods logo on it funded by Fayed.
Mohamed al Fayed was the first businessman to sponsor the Metropolitan Police by donating a Rover Kensington patrol car to the force. Pic: Dave Cheskin/PA
Mr Otter said it “looked more like a Harrods vehicle than a police vehicle. It looked like someone had put a blue light on a Harrods vehicle”.
When he went to Harrods to return the car, he met a Harrods security boss who he said pushed back the keys and told him: “Look, you don’t understand, this is an arrangement that’s been going on for a long time.
“Lots of chief superintendents have had the benefit of this relationship. And your colleagues [get] hampers at Christmas.”
He said he was told: “When you’ve been here a bit longer, you will have a better understanding of this relationship.”
Fayed became the first businessman to sponsor the Metropolitan Police by donating a Rover Kensington patrol car which he was pictured inside in 1996.
Former Met Police Chief Superintendent Stephen Otter
Mr Otter also said when he went to return the car keys Harrods had a detention centre which “was better than any detention centre I’d seen in the whole Metropolitan Police”.
‘Your officers are in here again asking for freebies’
Mr Otter said he conducted a review which found the Metropolitan Police gave Harrods a disproportionate level of support. He said: “Our policing of Harrods was like policing a Premiership match, and the risk just literally didn’t support the resources and the attention they got.”
Later he said the force got “quite a lot of complaints” from the security boss, who he said told him: “Your officers are in here again, asking for freebies.”
‘A corrupt relationship on both sides’
Asked if the Met officers were corrupt, Mr Otter said: “I think they probably were, and I think the culture was that the police were welcome to come in and have food for free.”
He added: “I just felt deeply uncomfortable with the relationship. It was a relationship in which this department store had huge amounts of power over the leaders of the areas of policing around them.
“It felt like a corrupt relationship on both sides.”
Relationship ‘played very negative part’ in investigations into Fayed
Discussing what role the corrupt relationship may have played in police investigations into Fayed, he said “it can only have played a very negative part”.
He alleged the security boss “accessed information in the Metropolitan Police through those relationships”.
“It’s that insidious infiltration in a relationship,” he said. “It benefited police officers and it benefited Fayed.
“I think most people probably didn’t realise, I hope, that actually it was also hiding and creating an opportunity for sexual predatory behaviour.”
He added: “Having a relationship with the police at a high level is so powerful.
“If you can just ring up people and say ‘can you just do a check on this person?’ That’s hugely powerful and it really does endanger the legitimacy that the British police service has.”
The Metropolitan Police declined to comment, with a spokesperson saying: “Given the length of time since the events… we aren’t able to provide a response.”
Nigel Farage has told Sky News he “can’t be pushed or bullied” by anybody after Elon Musk said the Reform MP “doesn’t have what it takes” to lead his party.
In an interview with Sky’s political correspondent Ali Fortescue, Mr Farage said he has spoken with the billionaire owner of X since his criticism on 5 January, when Mr Musk said: “The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes.”
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Asked if the pair are still friends, Mr Farage said: “Of course we’re friends. He just says what he thinks at any moment in time.”
He added he has “been in touch” with Mr Musk, though wouldn’t divulge what they had discussed.
“Look, he said lots of supportive things. He said one thing that wasn’t supportive. I mean, that’s just the way it is,” Mr Farage said.
Musk and Farage met in December. Pic: PA
Asked if he was afraid to criticise the tech mogul, the Clacton MP said the situation was “the opposite”, and he openly disagreed with Mr Musk on his views on far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
Mr Farage said: “What he [Musk] was saying online was that effectively Tommy Robinson was a political prisoner and I wouldn’t go along with that.
“If I had gone along with that, he wouldn’t have put out a tweet that was against me.
“By the way, you know, I can’t be pushed or bullied or made to change by anybody.
“I stick to what I believe.”
Mr Musk has endorsed Robinson and claimed he was “telling the truth” about grooming gangs, writing on X: “Free Tommy Robinson”.
But Mr Farage said that Robinson, who is serving an 18-month jail term for contempt of court, isn’t welcome in Reform UK and neither are his supporters.
He said: “If people within Reform think Tommy Robinson should be a member of Reform and play a central role in Reform, that disagreement is absolutely fundamental.
“I’ve never wanted to work with people who were active in the BNP. I’ve made that clear right throughout the last decade of my on/off political career. So that’s what the point of difference is.”
Despite their disagreement, Mr Farage said he is confident Mr Musk will continue to support Reform and “may well” still give money to it.
The entrepreneur has previously spoken positively about Reform UK and there have been suggestions he could make a multi-million-pound donation in its favour.
Devolution plans ‘denial of democracy’
Mr Farage was speaking from Reform’s South East of England Conference, one of a series of regional events aimed at building up the party’s support base.
Elsewhere in the interview, he hit out at the Labour government’s devolution plans which could see some local elections scheduled for May postponed.
This would apply when councils seek permission to reorganise, so that smaller district authorities merge with other nearby ones to give them more sway over their area.
Mr Farage, who is hoping to make gains in the spring contests, claimed the plans are not about devolution but about “elections being cancelled”.
“I thought only dictators cancelled elections. This is unbelievable and devolution or a change to local government structures is being used as an excuse,” he said.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage earlier this month. Pic: PA
He claimed Tory-controlled councils are “grabbing it like it’s a life belt”, because they fear losing seats to Reform.
“It’s an absolute denial of democracy,” he added.
Mr Farage was also asked why many Reform members don’t like to speak on camera about why they support his party.
He said he did not accept there was a toxicity associated with Reform and claimed there was “institutional bias against anybody that isn’t left of centre”.
Specialist search teams, police dogs and divers have been dispatched to find two sisters who vanished in Aberdeen three days ago.
Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, both 32, were last seen on CCTV in the city’s Market Street at Victoria Bridge at about 2.12am on Tuesday.
The siblings were captured crossing the bridge and turning right onto a footpath next to the River Dee in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club.
Henrietta Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Eliza Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Police Scotland has launched a major search and said it is carrying out “extensive inquires” in an effort to find the women.
Chief Inspector Darren Bruce said: “Local officers, led by specialist search advisors, are being assisted by resources including police dogs and our marine unit.”
Aberdeenshire Drone Services told Sky News it has offered to help in the search and is waiting to hear back from Police Scotland.
CCTV of the sisters. Pic: Police Scotland
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The sisters, from Aberdeen city centre, are described as slim with long brown hair.
Police said the Torry side of Victoria Bridge where the sisters were last seen contains many commercial and industrial units, with searches taking place in the vicinity.
The force urged businesses in and around the South Esplanade and Menzies Road area to review CCTV footage recorded in the early hours of Tuesday in case it captured anything of significance.
Drivers with relevant dashcam footage are also urged to come forward.
CI Bruce added: “We are continuing to speak to people who know Eliza and Henrietta and we urge anyone who has seen them or who has any information regarding their whereabouts to please contact 101.”
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