Police investigate more than 100 claims of rape and abuse by Fayed

Police believe Mohamed Al Fayed may have raped and abused more than 111 women over nearly four decades and that his youngest victim was just 13 years old.

- Daniel Boffey, Vikram Dodd

The scale of the criminality would make Fayed, who died last year aged 94, one of Britain's most notorious sex offenders, and raises urgent questions about how he got away with his crimes.

Scotland Yard said five unnamed individuals were being investigated as suspected "facilitators" of the former owner of the luxury London store Harrods.

A huge review is also being undertaken into whether opportunities were missed in past police investigations and whether there are grounds to pursue past or current officers over corruption claims.

Last month, the Guardian reported claims that corrupt police officers had helped Fayed in persecuting members of his staff, including a young woman who allegedly rebuffed the Harrods owner's sexual advances.

The 111 cases of alleged abuse involving Fayed include 21 accusers who reported crimes to the police between 2005 and his death and 90 women who have come forward since the BBC aired a documentary into Fayed in September.

The Guardian understands that as soon as next week the Met will find out whether it faces an independent investigation into whether it bungled the claims of sexual violence against the Harrods boss.

The police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct, is considering whether its own investigators should investigate Britain's biggest force.

A Met spokesman said: "Following complaints from two women about the quality of investigations conducted in 2008, the Met has voluntarily referred these cases to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

"While these cases date back over a decade and we cannot change what happened preparing to announce a new independent commission on palliative care spearheaded by the Labour MP Rachael Maskell - which they are hopeful will get backing from the health secretary, Wes Streeting, when it launches in December.