French prosecutors have opened an investigation into alleged human trafficking and pimping connected to the late Harrods and Ritz Hotel owner Mohamed Al Fayed, following claims by an American woman, Pelham Spong, that she was sexually assaulted by him. Spong, 40, from South Carolina, recounted to French police how she was recruited in Paris under the guise of a secretarial role before being sent to London, where Al Fayed allegedly offered her a salary of €65,000 a year in exchange for sexual favors.
The allegations, first reported by The Times UK, have intensified scrutiny of Al Fayed’s former businesses, particularly the Ritz Hotel in Paris. Spong claims she was subjected to a gynaecological examination in London as part of the process, and that the recruitment was orchestrated by a French agency. Her lawyer, Anne-Claire Le Jeune, stated that investigators are examining whether Al Fayed had accomplices in France and whether staff at the Ritz were aware of or facilitated the alleged trafficking.
Harrods has reportedly established a compensation scheme for victims of Al Fayed, but the Ritz has not followed suit. Prosecutors are also investigating Al Fayed’s activities at the Villa Windsor, his former residence on the outskirts of Paris, and are coordinating with the Metropolitan Police in London, which is conducting a separate inquiry into those who may have enabled his alleged offenses. The Met itself is under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct over claims it failed to act on reports of Al Fayed’s alleged crimes before his death in 2023.
According to Spong, recruiters initially kept Al Fayed’s identity secret, sending her to the Ritz before providing a Eurostar ticket to London for a “trial week” at his Park Lane residence. She described being offered career advancement in exchange for sexual relations, and said she believes she avoided assault only because of a medical infection discovered during the examination. The case has reopened questions about how Al Fayed allegedly selected young women, reportedly favoring English, blonde, tall, and slim candidates, as documented in Alison Kervin’s book The Monster of Harrods.
Spong, who has waived her right to anonymity, told investigators she is determined to see justice served and to shed light on what she describes as an institutional pattern of abuse facilitated by Al Fayed’s network of assistants and staff, both in France and the United Kingdom.
