Former captain of Fulham women's team accuses Al Fayed of sexual assault
Ronnie Gibbons says the late Harrods Owner he tried to kiss her on the mouth and groped her, ITV News Reporter Charlie Frost reports
The former captain of Fulham Ladies football team has accused the late businessman Mohamed Al Fayed of sexually assaulting her on multiple occasions
Ronnie Gibbons, 44, has waived her right to anonymity to speak out about the alleged abuse she experienced at the hands of Al Fayed in the early 2000s, when he owned both Harrods and Fulham FC.
She was captain of the women's team in the 2000-01 season. She told The Athletic: “I was used. I just felt a huge responsibility on my shoulders because we’d just turned professional.
“Everything internally was screaming at me, ‘Ronnie, you need to leave’, but I couldn’t because I would be to blame for all these women losing their jobs and Fulham Ladies going down the pan.
“I couldn’t allow anything to happen to me, but at the same time, I couldn’t just run for the hills, which is what I wanted to do.”
Ms Gibbons told the publication that Al Fayed had invited her to his office on two separate occasions. She alleges he tried to kiss her on the mouth, and in one instance, groped her as she tried to flee the room.
“I was made to feel very uncomfortable,” she recounted to The Athletic. “He was rubbing my back, putting his hand on my leg, telling me all the things he could do for me."
Ms Gibbons said on both occasions, Al Fayed told her his children would be at the office but both times she arrived to find him alone.
She said Fulham employees encouraged her to go and meet with Al Fayed, driving her to Knightsbridge both times.
After the second incident, Ms Gibbons escaped the room after banging on the door, she said, adding that he gave her money to get a taxi home.
“I took the money because I just wanted to get out of there as quickly as I could,” she said during the interview with the sports publication.
“I got outside and just started to cry. I just remember crying.”
In a statement, Fulham FC said: "The Club is profoundly troubled to learn of the experiences told today by former Women’s Team captain, Ronnie Gibbons. She has our deepest empathy and support.
"We continue to stress our absolute condemnation of abuse in all forms. We remain in the process of establishing whether anyone at the Club is or would have been impacted by Mohamed Al Fayed in any manner as described in recent reports.
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"Should any person wish to share information or experiences related to this matter, we urge them to contact the Police or the Club at safeguarding@fulhamfc.com".
It follows an announcement by the Metropolitan Police that 40 new allegations against the former Harrods boss are being investigated.
The Met say the claims relate to 40 alleged victims include allegations of sexual assault and rape between 1979 and 2013.
The Justice For Harrods Survivors group said in a statement: “We salute our client’s bravery and are proud to advocate for Ronnie and others at Fulham who are searching for justice.
"We will do whatever we can to lift the lid on abuse, no matter where it was perpetrated, or who it was perpetrated by, including any enablers of Al Fayed’s abhorrent behaviour."
Last month, barristers representing alleged victims of Al Fayed said they are now in touch with 60 people who have said the former Harrods owner abused them.
Harrods have launched an investigation into whether anyone currently working for the luxury store had any involvement in Al Fayed's alleged abuse.
Harrods Managing Director Michael Ward said: "I feel it is important to make it clear that I was not aware of his criminality and abuse."
A statement from Harrods in September said: "An ongoing internal review (supported by external counsel) is looking at whether any of the current staff were involved in any of the allegations, either directly or indirectly."
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