Women sexually abused by Mohamed Al-Fayed in France have joined forces with alleged victims of a fashion mogul in a high court battle to change the country’s statute of limitations.
Kristina Svensson, Al-Fayed’s executive assistant at the Paris Ritz hotel, claims the Harrods boss attacked her on multiple occasions between 1998 and 2000.
She hoped that some of the former associates who helped enable the deceased billionaire’s abuse would be prosecuted.
But as the offences fall outside of France’s 20-year limit, her claims will not be investigated.
She and other alleged victims of the late tycoon face the same challenges as alleged victims of Gerald Marie, 74, who has been accused of a series of historic rapes and sexual assaults.
The case is set to go before France’s court of cassation, the equivalent of the British High Court, after initial appeals were rejected due to the statute of limitations.
And a landmark decision which could add a ‘sliding statute’ for victims of sexual abuse will be made on April 3.
This would mean that if victims made claims against an abuser that fell within the statute’s limits then time-barred claims against the same perpetrator can be heard.
Among Marie’s accusers is journalist Lisa Brinkworth, 57, who claims the fashion boss sexually assaulted her in 1998 while she was working undercover alongside journalist Donal MacIntyre to expose sex crimes in the industry for a BBC documentary.
In addition to her alleged abuse falling outside the statute of limitations, Ms Brinkworth’s quest for justice is further obstructed by the corporation’s refusal to release footage from the documentary under a secretive settlement made with Marie and his Elite modelling agency.
Ms Brinkworth has also reached out to alleged victims of French actor Gerard Depardieu to see if they will join the campaign to change the law.
The 76-year-old actor is facing charges of sexually assaulting two women who worked alongside him on a film set.
In Britain there is no time limit to bring abuse claims, and Ms Brinkworth said she hopes the cases being brought by herself and other survivors will result in a consistent rule across Europe banning time-barring cases.
‘I couldn’t believe when I discovered it in 2020, that I would come up against this archaic law preventing victims of historic abuse from seeking justice,’ she said.
‘It is so wrong because there are so many reasons why it can take decades for the victims of rape and sexual abuse to come forward.
‘Shame, fear of not being believed and the fear of coming up against a powerful abuser.’
Ms Brinkworth said that if the ruling later this week is favourable to survivors then it could mean that Marie’s alleged victims will be able to bring their case to trial alongside her.
‘It makes a mockery of rape and sexual assault victims that as the law stands, they will be given only witness status when they are very much victims,’ she said. ‘We have all come up against a judicial system that is very much in favour of the perpetrator and time and time again, fails victims.’
Marie denies all the allegations.
Ms Svensson said ‘as many as 50 people’ would have been aware of the abuse committed by Al-Fayed but none had been held to account.
‘Hopefully all of us working together will help have these laws changed for the better. It could be have a seismic impact,’ she added.
The developments come as five women who worked as nannies and private air stewards for Al-Fayed launched legal action against the deceased billionaire’s estate.
The law firm representing the alleged victims, Leigh Day, said the women were subjected to ‘serious sexual abuse, harassment and mistreatment’.
Harrods has opened a compensation scheme for survivors of abuse by Al-Fayed, offering up to £200,000 to victims.
The department store ‘apologises unreservedly’ for the sexual abuse people suffered and ‘wants everyone who is eligible to receive this compensation’, according to a statement on its website.
An eligible applicant does not need to have been a Harrods’ employee but their claim must contain a ‘sufficiently close connection’ to the London department store or to Mr Al Fayed’s role there.
