More than 400 alleged victims, including some from Australia, have so far contacted the legal team working on a case against the late Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed, who has been accused of sexual abuse and rape, lawyer Dean Armstrong says.

A BBC documentary in September revealed Al Fayed, who died last year aged 94, sexually abused female staff at his London department store Harrods, forced them to have medical screenings and threatened consequences if they tried to complain.

“The sheer scale of abuse perpetrated by Al Fayed, and facilitated by those around him, sadly, continues to grow,” Armstrong told a news conference in London.

Al Fayed always denied similar accusations raised by other reports before his death.

When asked for a response, Harrods pointed Reuters to its past statements on the allegations, in which it has apologised, said it was “appalled” by them and that it had launched a process for any current or former Harrods employees who wish to claim compensation.