Doctor denies carrying out ‘intrusive’ STI tests for Fayed
Dr Ann Coxon is accused of carrying out “intrusive” medical examinations on Harrods staff.
A doctor who worked for former Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed has denied carrying out sexual health tests on staff members.
Multiple women have told the BBC Dr Ann Coxon carried out the medical checks while working for Fayed when he owned Harrods.
One woman, known as Kate, said she told Dr Coxon it was unnecessary to test her since she wasn’t sexually active.
Her concerns were “brushed off”, she said in a BBC interview, and was told the test was “still necessary”.
When Dr Coxon was asked by the BBC on a London street whether she carried out the tests, she replied “no”.
The denial is contradicted by another former employee, Natacha, who described the examinations as “wholly unnecessary” and “intrusive”.
Dr Coxon repeatedly said “no comment” when asked about her time working for the former Harrods boss.
When asked if she regretted working for him, she said “no”.
The doctor was one of at least two who are reported to have carried out the medical tests. Another, Wendy Snell, has since died.
Natacha, who has partially waived her right to anonymity, is among a group of women preparing to make a formal complaint about the medical procedures to the General Medical Council.
Many of the women interviewed for the BBC documentary and podcast Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods said they were subjected to the tests when they started working for the London department store.
Kate said a “company medical” with Dr Coxon was organised for her, and explained as a perk of working in the chairman’s office.
Fayed, who died last year aged 94, was the owner of Harrods between 1985 and 2010.
He is accused of multiple rapes and sexual assaults by several women who worked for him – many of whom have said they felt unable to report what had happened until recently.
Harrods’ current owners said they were “utterly appalled” by the allegations and that his victims had been failed – for which the store sincerely apologised.
If you are affected by issues of sexual assault you can contact the BBC Action Line here.
