I performed sexual health tests on an innocent young woman who worked for Harrods’ predator boss Mohamed Al Fayed. I’m horrified by what happened next – but I did NOTHING wrong
An Australian doctor who allegedly carried out sexual health tests on a would-be victim of Mohamed Al Fayed has denied claims she did so at his request, insisting that even if she had tested Harrods staff, she never shared their details with the predatory billionaire would have shared.
Fayed, who died last year aged 94, has been accused of a litany of sex crimes against dozens of women, some as young as 15, during the years he owned London’s most prestigious department store.
Many of his transgressions were first detailed in an unauthorized 1998 biography by journalist Tom Bower.
But even more sickening crimes have come to light following a recent BBC documentary in which more than 20 former Harrods employees accused Fayed of sexual assault, including rape.
On Friday, the Met Police announced that they are now investigating 40 new allegations, bringing the total number of women who have made complaints to more than 60.
Notorious germophobe Fayed is accused of ordering young female staff members he found attractive to undergo ‘invasive’ STD testing.
Dr. Jane Reffell is said to have carried out an ‘exhaustive gynecological examination’ on a young lawyer who had been hand-picked to work for Fayed in 1989 because of her good looks.
The shady billionaire would later make repeated sexual advances towards the then 25-year-old lawyer, forcing her to lock herself in the bathroom of his Parisian suite.
Daily Mail Australia tracked down Dr Reffell in the sleepy village of Bangalow in the Northern Rivers region of NSW, about 15 minutes inland from hippie hangout Byron Bay, where she has run a women’s health practice since 2002.
Daily Mail Australia tracked down Dr Jane Reffell (pictured) in the sleepy village of Bangalow in the Northern Rivers region of NSW, about 15 minutes inland from Byron Bay, where she has run a women’s health practice since 2002.
Mohamed Al Fayed (pictured), who died last year aged 94, has been accused of a litany of sex crimes against dozens of women, some as young as 15, during the years he owned London’s most prestigious department store .
Mr. Bowers’ book claimed that Dr. Reffell “understood what Fayed desired,” which was for his female staff to have clean sexual health before he preyed on them.
Dr. However, Reffell vehemently denied ever having played such a role.
“I just don’t believe it was me,” she told this publication.
“There are other doctors who have worked very closely with Fayed, but not me.”
When asked if she had ever carried out a sexual health test on a Harrods employee, Dr Reffell said: ‘I have done tests but it was on a personal, confidential basis.
“And I never necessarily did them for Al Fayed, but I might have done them for his staff if they were patients of the practice.”
Fayed, who was known to prowl the corridors of Harrods looking for attractive young women to work in his top floor office, ruthlessly courted and made contact with senior members of the British Royal Family (pictured with the then Princess of Wales and his wife, Princess Diana who later died in a car accident with Fayed’s son Dodi in Paris)
Notorious germophobe Fayed is accused of ordering young female staff members he found attractive to undergo ‘invasive’ STD tests (Photo: Fayed with actress Lucy Liu in 2005)
Bowers’ book claims that the sexual health test results were sent to Alison Bozek, Fayed’s secretary.
Dr. However, Reffell said sharing a patient’s confidential information was a “red line” she would never cross.
“We just wouldn’t do it,” she said.
‘You need the patient’s permission for this.’
Dr. Reffell said she was “shocked” by the revelations and expressed her condolences for Fayed’s victims.
“I’m shocked to see my name mentioned,” she said.
“I was just fooled because patient confidentiality is such a cornerstone of medicine.
“You don’t release information and you can only do that if you have the patient’s permission.”
Dr. Reffell (pictured) said she was ‘shocked’ by the revelations and expressed her condolences for Fayed’s victims
She added: ‘It’s very concerning because I work with women all the time so confidentiality and care are very important.’
Fayed, who was known to prowl the corridors of Harrods looking for attractive young women to work in his top floor office, ruthlessly courted and made contact with senior members of the royal family.
His film producer son, Dodi, was dating Princess Diana when the couple died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.
Fayed’s insatiable appetite for harassing young women in his employ was both enabled and then covered up by an army of highly paid security guards, lawyers, publicists and doctors.
It is understood that Scotland Yard is actively pursuing those who may have helped Fayed carry out his crimes.
Another doctor, Ann Coxon, 84, is alleged to have carried out ‘invasive’ and ‘completely unnecessary’ STD checks at the request of the disgraced billionaire.
The doctor, who still runs a clinic in London’s prestigious Harley Street, was named by Fayed’s victims.
But when asked last week if she regretted working for the alleged sexual predator, she replied: “No, I don’t.”
One of Fayed’s victims, who is part of the survivors’ group Justice for Harrods, told this story BBC the ‘researches conducted by Dr. Coxon were pushy and completely unnecessary’.
“They also led to confidential medical information of many employees – including my own – being shared inappropriately within Harrods,” the victim added.
“This shouldn’t have happened.”
The victims’ group has reported Dr Coxon to the British medical regulator, the General Medical Council.
Another doctor, the now deceased Wendy Snell, was also accused of telling another victim not to sleep with her boyfriend so she would be “clean” for Fayed.
In the photo: Fayed in 2018 on board his yacht in St Tropez on the French Riveria
Dr. Ann Coxon (pictured), who is accused of carrying out STD tests on Fayed’s employees, said she did not regret working for him
The victim, Gemma, said Al Fayed tried to convince her she had a sexually transmitted infection (STD).
“But it was a ploy to keep me away from my boyfriend so I would stay clean for Al Fayed,” she added.
In a letter Gemma shared with The Mail in Britain on Sunday, Dr Snell, then Harrods’ GP, wrote: ‘It is important that you do not have sexual contact with your boyfriend until you have been treated and cleared. of infection.’
Gemma, then 24, who was raped by Fayed in Paris a month after starting as a personal assistant at Harrods in 2008, suspected it was a trick.
She added: “Al-Fayed built this story that my friend gave me [STI].
‘We were together for seven years… [We] We went to our own GP, but we both got the signal.’