Harrods Redress Scheme – One Year On

On 31 March 2026, after a year in operation, the Harrods Redress Scheme will close to new applicants. 

By Claire Glasgow

The Scheme was established to provide a streamlined compensation process for victim-survivors of Mohammed Fayed, where the abuse took place in connection with his role at the company. Lawyers for Harrods report that at least 180 women have so far made claims via the Scheme.

Having successfully represented numerous women and men who have been sexually abused by high-profile individuals, either via a negotiated settlement process or in litigated court proceedings, it has been my experience that the Scheme does offer a relatively straightforward route to compensation for many applicants. Whilst there will always be individuals whose claims will sit better outside the Scheme, in most cases it has offered a quicker satisfactory resolution to my clients than they could expect in a civil claim. Lawyers for Harrods report that of the 180 women who are engaged in the Scheme – 50 have already received compensation.

Importantly a number of claimant solicitors who are experienced in working with victims of sexual assault had input into the terms of the Scheme. We were consulted about the terms of the proposed Scheme before it was launched, including the expert witnesses who were selected to assess victims who opt for the ‘medical pathway’.

Any victim of sexual assault will tell you that in taking legal action against their abuser they are not motivated by money but by accountability and having their voice heard and believed. However, financial compensation can unlock access to much needed private specialist treatment and financial security when earnings have been disrupted by the fallout of the abuse.

‘Routes’ for applicants to the Scheme

There are two ‘routes’ for applicants under the Scheme: the medical and the non-medical.

• The non-medical pathway offers women who have not experienced significant psychiatric consequences as a result of the assault(s) the opportunity to have their application decided on the basis of a written application and supporting documents. This avoids the need to give evidence in person or speak to anyone other than their solicitor about what happened to them. Revisiting an assault is often a very difficult and re-traumatising experience.
• The medical pathway is intended to compensate women who have suffered more severe and enduring psychiatric consequences as a result of the assault(s), for example PTSD, depression and/or anxiety, which may have impacted on their ability to work. On top of the written application, applicants on the medical pathway will be assessed by a consultant psychiatrist who is experienced in working with victims of trauma and has knowledge of medico-legal processes. These assessments take place in person or remotely, and applicants can state if they prefer to be assessed by a female psychiatrist. After the assessment the Consultant provides a report which sets out all the symptoms that the individual is experiencing, as well as a diagnosis and prognosis. Private treatment costs can be recovered under the Scheme if connected to the symptoms caused by the assault.

Counselling and support

Counselling support is available to applicants during the process, and they are also able to contact the Independent Survivor Advocate Dame Jasvinder Singh for support, guidance and advice.

Once an applicant has been accepted on to the Scheme it is also possible for them to request an interim payment of damages (an up-front payment of part of their likely compensation), so that they can arrange their own specialist treatment or therapy.

Legal costs

Eligible applicants are able to recover their reasonable legal costs on top of their compensation at the conclusion of the process, meaning that they can be supported through their application to the Scheme by an experienced lawyer without worrying about needing to fund the representation up front.

Anyone considering an application to the Scheme should always be careful to ask the solicitor they are planning to instruct about whether there will be any deductions from their compensation for legal costs (success fees and/or shortfall). We and a number of other experienced claimant sexual abuse solicitors have agreed not to take any costs deductions (success fees and/or shortfall) from our clients’ compensation in respect of applications to the Scheme.

Police investigations and the All-Party Parliamentary Group

Whilst the Scheme provides a welcome route to financial compensation without resort to the usual court process, hundreds of women have made allegations of sexual assault against Fayed, and many were abused in circumstances that are not connected to his role at Harrods. Widely reported in the media, police investigations are ongoing into the allegations and the circumstances in which he was able to abuse so many women (Operation Cornpoppy) Update on investigation into individuals who may have facilitated or enabled offending by Mohamed Al Fayed | Metropolitan Police.

In December 2025, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Survivors of Fayed and Harrods was formed. The co-chairs of the APPG, Wendy Chamberlain MP and Dave Robertson MP, have invited survivors to provide information before the first meeting of the group. (Contact details for the group can be found here: House of Commons - Register Of All-Party Parliamentary Groups as at 23 February 2026: Survivors of Fayed and Harrods).

There are likely to be many legal claims for damages made against Fayed’s Estate from women who were assaulted outside of his work with Harrods, and it remains to be seen how the Estate will engage with those claimants.