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Met Police apologises for exposing addresses of al Fayed's alleged victims

The Metropolitan Police has apologised for accidentally sharing the email addresses of people who claimed they were sexually abused by former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed.

The force said the breach, which occurred on Tuesday when a monthly update was sent to victims, was due to "human error".

The BBC reported that around 140 women were affected by the error, which saw recipients copied into the email rather than blind copied in, leaving them visible to others on the distribution list.

The Information Commissioner's Office has been notified of the breach, and the force is considering alternative ways of issuing updates to the group, it is understood.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Met said: "Due to human error, recipients' email addresses were visible to others on the distribution list.

"The issue was identified quickly and immediate action was taken.

"We understand the impact this may have on victims and sincerely apologise. Everyone affected was contacted directly on the day of the incident.

"The incident is being investigated as a matter of priority, and we are reviewing our processes to help prevent a similar breach from happening again."

The force said it emailed victims to confirm three further suspects, one aged in their 70s and two in their 80s, have recently been interviewed under caution.

It brings the total number of people who have been interviewed to seven, the Met added.

More than 400 allegations of sexual misconduct, dating back to 1977, have been made against al Fayed, who died in 2023 at the age of 94.

Some 154 people came forward to report allegations of sex abuse against him.

Sky News

(c) Sky News 2026: Met Police apologises for exposing addresses of al Fayed's alleged victims

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