More than 400 alleged victims or witnesses have come forward to lawyers over allegations of sexual misconduct against former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed.

The Justice for Harrods Survivors group said its first letter of claim had been sent to the London department store – labeling it “the start of the formal legal process”.

The group said most of the 421 inquiries they were dealing with were “in the context of Harrods”, but said others had contacted them from Fulham FC, the Ritz hotel in Paris and elsewhere.

The Metropolitan Police has asked prosecutors to decide whether to charge the former owner of Harrods and Fulham FC in relation to just two of the 21 women who have made allegations, including rape and sexual assault, between 2005 and 2023.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) was presented with evidence in 2009 and 2015 but decided not to proceed as there was “no realistic prospect of a conviction”.

Speaking at a press conference in central London on Thursday, Dean Armstrong KC said: “To ensure that no one…is under any illusions about our decision, we are pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement with a law major. the company that will deal with the processing of these requests.

“The law firm has areas of expertise in this area and, so that no one is concerned about our ability to fight this case to the end, is backing over £1bn.

“Even more exciting, but very sad to have to do it, is that today we can announce that the first letter of claim has been sent to Harrods.

“This is the beginning of the formal legal process.

“It will be followed today by another, and it will be followed the next day by others, and it will be followed by hundreds more.

“If we are pushed, if our survivors are pushed, to have to defend themselves to get justice, we are ready, we have the resources and we are determined.

“This statement of intent is the clearest possible signal that it is time for Harrods, time for the Fayed estate and time for Fulham FC, among other sporting institutions, to understand that now is the time to do the right thing.”

Another member of the legal team, Bruce Drummond, said the first letter of claim was for one alleged victim, but added: “It’s literally the first of hundreds to come – it’s going to snowball and snowball.” .

The ads follow a number of women who made allegations against Mr Al Fayed in a BBC documentary last month.

The BBC documentary Al Fayed: Predator At Harrods reported the claims of five women who said they were raped by Mr Al Fayed, with several others accusing him of sexual abuse.

Asked how many “factors” of Mr Al Fayed’s alleged sexual misconduct had been identified by the group, lawyer Maria Mulla said: “It was a very large network.

“Some of them are still alive – it’s beyond our ability to name names or announce who those people are.”

Mr Al Fayed bought Harrods for £615m in 1985.

In 2010, after 26 years at the helm, he sold the store to the Qatari royal family for an estimated £1.5bn.

Mr. Al Fayed died in 2023 at the age of 94.