A footballer has thanked those who first went public about the abuse they suffered at the hands of former Fulham owner Mohamed Al Fayed for giving her the courage to speak out.
Ronnie Gibbons, who captained the club’s women’s team in the 2000-01 season, waived her right to anonymity earlier this month to say she had twice been sexually assaulted by Al Fayed in an office at the Harrods department store he owned in Knightsbridge.
Gibbons said she had drawn strength from the testimony of other women who had spoken to the BBC about the sexual abuse they were subjected to by Al Fayed, who owned Fulham between 1997 and 2013.
Speaking in a video message broadcast at a Justice For Harrods Survivors group media briefing on Thursday, Gibbons said: “I would have really have liked to have met some of the other amazingly brave ladies who are speaking up about Mohammed Al Fayed and his appalling behaviour. “Seeing you speak helped me to have the courage to get in touch with the barristers. “And as difficult as it’s been, it’s been very empowering and I know that by speaking out, we are making it harder for this kind of behaviour to be tolerated anywhere. “I know we are making it easier for others to speak up.