"It smashes his legacy," she says. "It's the next best thing."

Cheska has been asked what justice she hopes to receive for speaking out against alleged sexual predator Mohamed Al FayedAn Egyptian billionaire businessman who owned the Ritz in Paris and Harrods department store in the UK. He died in 2023. . Fayed, an influential billionaire businessman and prominent public figure who died last year, will never sit opposite her in a court of law to answer for the accusations.

But nor will history treat him kindly. Lawyers representing the more than 20 alleged victims of his crimes so far described the billionaire as a "monster enabled by a system that pervaded Harrods" and said he "preyed on the most vulnerable".

Dean Armstrong KCKing's Counsel - a title given to barristers and solicitors (types of lawyers) in the UK. said that it was reminiscent of various other high-profile cases of prolific and long-unchallenged sexual abuse, including Jimmy SavileA British media personality who died in 2011 aged 84. After he died hundreds of allegations of sexual abuse were made against him. , Jeffrey EpsteinHe was a financier arrested in July 2019 on charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking. He was denied bail ahead of his trail and died while in jail. His death has been officially ruled a suicide by the New York City medical examiner, though a pathologist hired by Epstein's brother claims it may have been a murder. and Harvey WeinsteinA US film producer who is currently in prison after being found guilty of rape. Accusations against him sparked the global #MeToo movement in 2017, in which woman spoke out against sexual abuse and harassment. .¹

Fayed owned Harrods, a luxury British department store, between 1985 and 2010. The accusations span his tenure there. The store has issued an apology for failing to protect its employees.

One of Fayed's alleged victims, just 19 years old, said that being offered a job at Harrods in central London seemed like "the chance of a lifetime". But it turned out to be a "lion's den". The women - some of whom were as young as 16 at the time of the alleged crimes - have accused Fayed of rape, attempted rape, sexual battery and sexual abuse of minors.

The allegations paint a disturbing picture, one of systemic abuse of power, a rich, untouchable culpritThe person or thing responsible for a crime or wrongdoing. and a complicit institution willing to sacrifice and silence his victims. "We were like lambs to the slaughter," said one of the accusers.

Some wonder how it took so long to come to light. The first investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct, racism and staff surveillance by Fayed took place in 1995 - almost 30 years ago. Various allegations were reported in 1997, 2008, 2015, 2017 and 2018.

But it was only after Fayed's death in August 2023 that the allegations against him burst into the spotlight, making headlines across the globe.

Many of the women who have now spoken out against Fayed said that they had felt imprisoned by fear of his money, power and resources. "I am petrified of someone who is no longer alive," said one of the women who says she was raped by Fayed. The billionaire is also accused of intimidating his victims.

But others say it is indicative of an extensive network of abuse. A number of other individuals have been accused of covering up Fayed's crimes, including a former senior Metropolitan Police detective and Harrods' corporate doctor. Witnesses say the abuse was an "open secret".

He is not the only high-profile man accused of sexual abuse to hit the headlines in recent weeks. Sean 'DiddyAn American rapper born in 1969. ' Combs, was arrested in New York on Monday after months of civil lawsuits related to allegations of sex trafficking, rape and sexual abuse.²

When will it end, some ask? We are cautioned that rape allegations can "ruin men's lives". But one man accused of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment by 26 women is running for his second term as US president.³ Even the British Royal Family is not untarnished: Prince Andrew has been accused of three counts of raping a teenage girl. Both men deny the allegations.

"Smashing his legacy" is a potent message from women who have been silenced for decades. But the victims of powerful men deserve justice, not "the next best thing".

Are powerful men still getting away with abuse?

Yes: From the headlines we are seeing currently, the scale of the problem has never been clearer. Women are suffering at the hands of powerful men. And, like Al Fayed, they may never be held to account in their lifetimes.

No: If anything, this case shows that powerful men are no longer getting away with abuse. Increasingly, victims and survivors of sexual misconduct feel comfortable with speaking out against predators to hold them to account.

Or... It is not just powerful men still getting away with abuse: it is all men. We only need to look at the recent case of Gisele PelicotA French woman whose husband has admitted to drugging her and inviting dozens of men to abuse her without her knowledge. She has waived her right to anonymity. to see how normalised misogynistic abuses are.