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Al Fayed-owned Mayfair penthouse has ‘leaky roofs and noisy lifts', BBC reveals
Al Fayed-owned Mayfair penthouse has ‘leaky roofs and noisy lifts', BBC reveals

BBC News

timea day ago

  • Business
  • BBC News

Al Fayed-owned Mayfair penthouse has ‘leaky roofs and noisy lifts', BBC reveals

The owner of a multi-million pound penthouse on Park Lane, central London, has been in an eight-year legal battle with companies owned by the late Mohamed Al Fayed and his family, the BBC has dispute began as a wrangle over a legal agreement relating to the installation of a new lift more than 20 years then, it has escalated into a row alleging leaky roofs, botched refurbishments and claims that a noisy lift was "maliciously" run at night to disturb the penthouse owner's for both parties declined to row at the exclusive Mayfair address - documented in High Court filings - shines a light on the way some business dealings were conducted in Mohamed Al Fayed's empire in the years before he his life, he was known for his combative approach, frequently resorting to legal action to resolve disagreements. The luxury penthouse at the centre of this dispute is owned by Alan and Rosaleen Hodson. He is a property developer whose company has built thousands of homes in south-east is on the top floor of 55 Park Lane, known as "Hyde Park Residence", a large apartment building in a prime spot - right next to the exclusive Dorchester Hotel. The building's website promises "an atmosphere of warmth and calm with the best of London living". A four-bedroom apartment is currently on sale for £8.5m. In 2003, the Mail on Sunday described the address as having "sensational" views across Hyde Park and a "marble entrance foyer [that] has to be seen to be believed".However, walking past the building gives a different impression. Some might consider it a little shabby for such a premium location, with peeling paint and a missing sign above the Park Residence has been owned by the Fayed family since the 1980s, through Prestige Properties (PP), a company based in has been "under the control and held for the benefit of" Mohamed Al Fayed's estate and family since his death in 2023, according to the accounts of a subsidiary company filed in the UK. Al Fayed's widow Heini Wathen-Fayed is a director of this subsidiary called Hyde Park Residence Ltd, which manages some of the apartments. Al Fayed's son Dodi, who died in a car crash alongside Princess Diana in 1997, reportedly used to have a flat Mohamed Al Fayed owned Harrods, he would sometimes let managers and directors live in the block, and the neighbouring building, 60 Park Lane, which he also 2024, the BBC spoke to 13 women who said Fayed sexually assaulted them at 60 Park Lane. Four of them said they were raped. Leaky roofs The first issue emerged soon after Mr Hodson bought the penthouse in 2004, according to court documents seen by the Hodson made extensive improvements to the apartment when he moved in - modifying the kitchen, upgrading the roof terraces, and putting in a new lift so he wouldn't have to use a flight of stairs to access the agreement giving him legal ownership of his new lift - by updating his lease - wasn't honoured by Liechtenstein-based PP, Mr Hodson many large buildings, the ownership of Hyde Park Residence is complicated. The freeholder of the building is the Grosvenor Estate, which has extensive landholdings in central London. The Al Fayed family's company PP has the right to use it for the next 110 years. This leasehold arrangement, though time-limited, is considered a form of should have been asked for permission before these improvements were started. But permission was not requested - although it agreed in 2006 to grant permission retrospectively for a payment of £100,000, which Prestige Properties in 2014, Mr Hodson began to be bothered by noise from two of the buildings' lifts. Despite his complaints, the noise grew worse, he argued, until in 2015 the building managers agreed to suspend use of one of the troublesome lifts at in 2016, the two parties fell out further. PP demanded that Mr Hodson contribute £80,000 towards the money paid to the Grosvenor Estate, some years earlier. The following year, the Hodson's took PP and two other Fayed-controlled companies to the High Court asking for a list of grievances to be met and damages the issues, Mr Hodson said that he had wanted to extend the flat, adding a floor. He had spent £180,000 developing a plan, but PP denied him permission to build it, despite initially encouraging the plan – his lawyers lawyers argued the company hadn't given Mr Hodson permission to extend his property. They said that, as a property developer, he should have known that he wouldn't get permission without paying PP, as the landlord, millions of Hodson said that as a result of this dispute, PP allowed people to start using a noisy lift again, disturbing his sleep, which he thought was a "malicious and deliberate" response to a letter of complaint. He said on one night the lift was used 23 times between midnight and 02: also complained of poor repair work, which he said left him with a leaky roof and damage to his roof dispute still hasn't been resolved. In March this year, there was another court filing from Mr Hodson claiming "the roof is still leaking. The lift is still making excessive noise… The corridors and lobby have never been finished following refurbishment."Lawyers for PP argue in reply that the noise from the lift is at "acceptable levels" and deny that it was restarted maliciously. They admit water leaked but say their clients have taken all reasonable steps to stop is counterclaiming £344,000 in ground rent, plus another £286,000 of interest and sums are trivial compared to Mohamed Al Fayed's wealth, estimated at £1.7bn at the time of his death. And it is remarkable that a dispute of this kind should have dragged on for so Al Fayed was known for never giving an inch to those he fell out with - and that approach seems to be continuing even after his Hodson, Heini Wathen-Fayed, PP, and Grosvenor Estate declined to comment.

Met's plan to update alleged Mohamed Al Fayed victims by video ‘not good enough'
Met's plan to update alleged Mohamed Al Fayed victims by video ‘not good enough'

The Guardian

time3 days ago

  • The Guardian

Met's plan to update alleged Mohamed Al Fayed victims by video ‘not good enough'

Women allegedly assaulted by the late Mohamed Al Fayed feel let down by police investigators, their advocate has said, as she criticised the Met for planning to 'resort' to sending a video to keep them updated. The comments by Dame Jasvinder Sanghera, who was appointed by Harrods as an independent survivors' advocate, came as it was reported the Metropolitan police had written to the women apologising for the distress they had suffered, especially as Fayed would never face justice. Dozens of women have come forward with allegations of abuse by the late Harrods owner going as far back as 1977, with numbers steadily increasing since the broadcast last year of the BBC documentary Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods. The officer who is now leading the investigation at Scotland Yard, DCS Angela Craggs, is reported to have written to the women to say she was 'acutely aware the case is especially distressing to all those who have suffered. Not least due to the fact that the main suspect will now never directly face justice for his crimes, and for this I am truly sorry.' While the Met has not provided a substantial update on the investigation since late last year, it plans to send alleged victims a video statement on Friday. Sanghera told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'They have not been kept up to date. They have not been provided with timelines. I have been advocating for the police to meet with survivors and to have a conversation in the room and to hear their concerns. 'The police have sadly turned that down and have now resorted to a video, which is quite frankly not good enough. 'Some of these women reported Al Fayed to the police when he was alive. Right now the police should be doing everything they can to offer assurances beyond just words.' Sanghera said some of the women had described living with 'shame and guilt', while others had harmed themselves. She said she did not believe it was too much to ask the police for updates on a monthly basis. The Met said last year that 111 women had made allegations against Fayed. Complaints against the Met over its handling of allegations will be investigated by the force itself under the direction of Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). The Met is also reviewing 21 allegations, which were made before Fayed died in 2023, and referred two of these to the IOPC in November. In February, his surviving brother, Ali Fayed, was also accused of sexual assault by three former Harrods employees, who alleged he assaulted them while they were working for the department store. Three women told the BBC they were sexually assaulted by Ali in the 1990s when he and his brothers, Mohamed and Salah, owned and ran Harrods. The women said the alleged abuse happened after they were abused or harassed by Mohamed, his older brother. A spokesperson for Ali Fayed has said the businessman 'unequivocally denies any and all the allegations of wrongdoing', that 'the incidents simply never took place' and that he intended to 'robustly defend himself against these unsubstantiated claims'.

17-year-old white boy arrested in counter terror operation in Wales
17-year-old white boy arrested in counter terror operation in Wales

Metro

time4 days ago

  • Metro

17-year-old white boy arrested in counter terror operation in Wales

A 17-year-old white boy has been arrested and charged with terror offences. Police released the ethnicity of the suspect in a bid to dispel fake news onsocial media around the arrest in Gwent, south Wales. It follows an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing Wales into the boy. He will be sentenced at a later date and officers are not looking for anyone else in connection with this investigation. Chief Superintendent Jason White said: 'We understand that reports of this nature will be concerning for many members of our communities. 'Our partners at Counter Terrorism Police Wales have acted swiftly to make this arrest and obtain a charging decision. 'Following his appearance in court last week, there are some mistruths circulating on social media which we'd like to correct. 'The boy at the centre of this investigation is a white male and he is currently on remand in custody awaiting sentence. More Trending 'So with that in mind, we're asking everyone to consider the tone and sentiment of their language but also for people to think twice about what they might read online and look for trusted voices within our communities. 'Investigations of this nature are exceptionally rare in Gwent, but we understand the impact that reports of offences of this type can have on our residents.' The boy was arrested and charged for offences under the Terrorism Act and appeared at the Central Criminal Court on Friday, July 4. Police added anyone with concerns should contact 101. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Woman sets up National Lottery syndicate over Facebook – now they've won £3,600,000 MORE: Scotland Yard apologises for 'failing' Mohamed Al Fayed victims MORE: Killer driver who ploughed car into wedding party guilty of murder

Scotland Yard apologises for 'failing' Mohamed Al Fayed victims
Scotland Yard apologises for 'failing' Mohamed Al Fayed victims

Metro

time4 days ago

  • Metro

Scotland Yard apologises for 'failing' Mohamed Al Fayed victims

Detectives probing former Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed have apologised to his alleged victims for their distress. In a letter leaked to the BBC, the officer leading Scotland Yard's investigation said she was 'acutely aware the case is especially distressing to all those who have suffered'. 'Not least due to the fact that the main suspect will now never directly face justice for his crimes, and for this I am truly sorry,' Detective Chief Superintendent Angela Craggs wrote. 'Some of you may have heard, and perhaps experienced dissatisfaction in previous investigations into Al Fayed by the Met and hence may have little confidence in us.' The force said it could not comment further because it would 'jeopardise criminal or other proceedings'. The BBC reported Scotland Yard would send a video statement addressing questions from the victims individually rather than arrange a meeting due to privacy issues. Two complaints against the Met over its handling of allegations against the former Harrods boss will be investigated by the force itself under the direction of a watchdog. The Met is currently reviewing a total of 21 allegations that were made before Mr Al Fayed died in 2023, and referred two of these to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in November. Alleged victims have repeated calls for a public inquiry into what happened. More than 100 alleged victims have contacted police to say they were sexually abused by the tycoon, the youngest of whom is thought to have been 13 at the time. A number of allegations were made against him while he was still alive. Investigators twice sent files for a charging decision to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) – once in 2008 relating to three alleged victims and again in 2015 linked to one other. A total of 150 complainants came forward following the airing of a BBC documentary, Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods, in September, the force said. More Trending On another three occasions – in 2018, 2021 and 2023 – the CPS was asked for what is called early investigative advice, but the matters were not pursued further by police. In November, the Met confirmed that detectives were investigating more than five people who may have facilitated the former Harrods boss in his alleged sexual abuse of dozens of women and girls. Al Fayed's network of suspected enablers is said to have included members of his personal security team, the luxury department store's PR staff and medics hired to test victims for sexually transmitted diseases before he raped them, according to the BBC. The force is also facing allegations of police corruption, with The Guardian reporting that officers were accused of taking bribes to help him persecute staff and avoid accusations of abuse. MORE: Killer driver who ploughed car into wedding party guilty of murder MORE: Hope Rowe jailed for life for stabbing woman to death at child's party in east London MORE: PE teacher faces court for 13 sexual offences against two girls and a boy

Met Police apologises to alleged Mohamed Al Fayed victims, reports say
Met Police apologises to alleged Mohamed Al Fayed victims, reports say

Yahoo

time4 days ago

  • Yahoo

Met Police apologises to alleged Mohamed Al Fayed victims, reports say

The Metropolitan Police has apologised to alleged victims of Mohamed Al Fayed for the distress they have suffered, according to reports. In a letter leaked to the BBC, the officer leading the investigation said she was 'acutely aware the case is especially distressing to all those who have suffered'. 'Not least due to the fact that the main suspect will now never directly face justice for his crimes, and for this I am truly sorry,' Detective Chief Superintendent Angela Craggs wrote. Scotland Yard did not provide a copy of the letter to the PA news agency. The force said it could not comment further because it would 'jeopardise criminal or other proceedings'. Two complaints against the Met over its handling of allegations against the former Harrods boss will be investigated by the force itself under the direction of a watchdog. The Met is currently reviewing a total of 21 allegations that were made before Mr Al Fayed died in 2023, and referred two of these to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in November. Alleged victims have repeated calls for a public inquiry into what happened. More than 100 alleged victims have contacted police to say they were sexually abused by the tycoon, the youngest of whom is thought to have been 13 at the time. A number of allegations were made against him while he was still alive. Investigators twice sent files for a charging decision to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) – once in 2008 relating to three alleged victims and again in 2015 linked to one other. On another three occasions – in 2018, 2021 and 2023 – the CPS was asked for what is called early investigative advice, but the matters were not pursued further by police. In November the Met confirmed that detectives were investigating more than five people who may have facilitated the former Harrods boss in his alleged sexual abuse of dozens of women and girls. They are looking at individuals surrounding the businessman who could have enabled him to commit crimes which are claimed to have spanned decades between 1977 and 2014. The force is also facing allegations of police corruption, with The Guardian reporting that officers were accused of taking bribes to help him persecute staff and avoid accusations of abuse.

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