The Al Fayed Investigation's Focus on Enablers, Not Just the Deceased Perpetrator
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/marinahyde. "Three years after his death, the Met goes after Mohamed Al Fayed. As for his enablers – well, you can’t rush things, can you? | Marina Hyde | The Guardian." August 25, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
The author argues that going after Mohamed Al Fayed's alleged crimes three years after his death misses the point—since it took a whole network of lawyers, security staff, and doctors to enable his abuse for decades, real justice means prosecuting those enablers too. She compares this to the Epstein case, where almost none of his associates faced consequences, and warns that without public pressure, the same pattern of impunity for enablers will repeat here.
Conclusion
Justice in the Al Fayed case requires prosecuting the wide network of enablers who facilitated his alleged decades-long abuse and trafficking, not just belatedly investigating the now-deceased Al Fayed himself, and authorities are failing to pursue this vigorously.
Premises
- The scale of allegations (400+ allegations from 156+ women over decades) indicates this was not the work of one man but required systemic facilitation.
- Numerous named categories of enablers (lawyers, security, doctors performing 'purity examinations', PR handlers) actively facilitated or covered up the abuse.
- The current police file sent to the CPS only concerns one elderly male suspect and two indecent assault charges, which is disproportionately narrow given the scale of alleged crimes.
- Survivors have been requesting a trafficking investigation for nearly two years, and the Met has allegedly failed in its legal duty to refer victims to the national referral mechanism for modern slavery.
- The Epstein case demonstrates a pattern where only the central figure (or one associate, Maxwell) faces consequences while numerous enablers escape accountability entirely.
- There has been no equivalent political pressure or media scrutiny on the Al Fayed case compared to Epstein, despite similar allegations of institutional enabling.
- The passage of time makes prosecution harder, meaning delayed action effectively protects enablers by allowing evidence and accountability to fade.
Assumptions
- That institutional and powerful figures have a vested interest in preventing full investigation of enabler networks.
- That the current slow pace of investigation is not merely bureaucratic but reflects a deliberate or systemic reluctance to pursue powerful enablers.
- That sufficient evidence exists to support trafficking/modern slavery charges beyond individual assault charges.
- That societal and media attention (or lack thereof) meaningfully influences the vigor of police and prosecutorial action.
- That accountability for enablers is legally and practically achievable even years after the primary perpetrator's death.