Paul Gascoigne’s daughter Bianca alleges Mohamed Al Fayed ‘groomed & sexually assaulted’ her in shocking interview detailing ‘horrific’ apartment visit from ex-Fulham owner

Bianca, who is now 37 years of age, claims the incidents in question took place during her time working at Harrods. She had been introduced to luxury store owner Al Fayed through her ex-England international father and initially considered him to be “charming” and felt “safe” in his presence after being offered a job.

• WHAT GASCOIGNE SAID

  That situation changed when Al Fayed offered Gascoigne use of his Harrods Park Lane apartment before catching a flight out of London, having previously groped and kissed her during weekly meetings. Gascoigne has told Sky News: “[Al Fayed] turned up at the apartment to my shock, I was just gobsmacked, I was kind of very shell-shocked. I just didn’t really know what to do, he came in and then he sat me down on the sofa… he got his privates out and got my hands and was trying to manoeuvre them on his parts.

  “When that didn’t work he was trying to force my head on to his lap. And I don’t know how but I managed to wiggle away. And I think possibly you know, that him knowing my parents… I don’t know, that might have saved me at that moment. But it was horrific.”
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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Gascoigne went on to say of comments that Al Fayed made about her dad, who spent time with Newcastle, Tottenham, Lazio, Rangers and Everton in his playing days: “[Al Fayed] used to tell me how much of a bad father my dad was because he used to come into the store drunk, and he used to tell me [my father] was an embarrassment.”

  WHAT NEXT?

  Al Fayed, who passed away at the age of 94 in August 2023, has seen a string of allegations made against him since the airing of an investigative BBC documentary. The Metropolitan Police has recorded 60 allegations, including claims of rape and sexual assault, while 21 women went to police with complaints against the Egyptian billionaire businessman between 2005 and 2023. Harrods are in the process of working through sexual misconduct compensation claims that involve more than 250 people.