Portugal Colonial - More than 400 people come forward over Al-Fayed sexual abuse claims

The allegations follow the airing of a BBC documentary in September that detailed multiple claims of rape and sexual assault by the former owner of the upmarket London department store.

The Justice for Harrods Survivors group said it had received 421 inquiries, mainly related to the store but also regarding Fulham football club, the Ritz Hotel in Paris and other entities.

"The sheer scale of abuse perpetrated by Al Fayed and facilitated by those around him, sadly, continues to grow," lawyer Dean Armstrong told a news conference.

The billionaire Egyptian businessman -- who died in August last year aged 94 -- bought Harrods in 1985, six years after acquiring the Ritz in the French capital. He bought Fulham in 1997.

Armstrong's colleague, Bruce Drummond, said that most alleged victims and witnesses were from the United Kingdom but people were contacting them "from all around the world".

"Every young lady in his orbit was a target," Drummond said.

The Justice for Harrods Survivors group said it had sent its first letter of claim to Harrods, signifying the "beginning of the formal legal process".

"It will be followed by hundreds more," added Armstrong.

Harrods has said that it has been contacted by more than 250 people seeking to negotiate an out-of-court settlement.

London's Metropolitan Police force says it has been contacted by 60 people, with accusations stretching back to 1979.

The attacks are said to have lasted for more than 30 years, until 2013.

Fayed was one of Britain's most well-known businessmen. His son Dodi was killed in a 1997 Paris car crash alongside Princess Diana, the former wife of King Charles III.

C.Amaral--PC