THE Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) failed to prosecute Mohamed al-Fayed twice after police presented evidence, it confirmed today.

Evidence was shown to the CPS in 2009 and 2015, but it decided not to go ahead with the prosecution because there was not “a realistic prospect of conviction” against the former Harrods owner.

Five women have alleged they were raped by Fayed, who died last year at the age of 94, with a number of others alleging sexual misconduct.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was head of the CPS as director of public prosecutions from 2008 to 2013, but a Downing Street spokesperson said he did not handle Fayed’s case, saying it “did not cross his desk.”

In 2018, 2021 and 2023, the CPS provided early investigative advice to the Metropolitan Police following allegations made against Fayed.

But a full file of evidence was never received by the CPS in each of these instances and they were given no further action by police.

A file of evidence must be presented to the CPS by an investigating police force for it to have formal involvement in a case.

A CPS spokesperson said: “We reviewed files of evidence presented by the police in 2009 and 2015.

“To bring a prosecution the CPS must be confident there is a realistic prospect of conviction — in each instance our prosecutors looked carefully at the evidence and concluded this wasn’t the case.”

The Metropolitan Police said that it had investigated “various allegations of sexual offences made over a number of years” about Fayed, but “no charges resulted from these investigations.”

It said that “if any further information comes to light it will be assessed and investigated accordingly.”