Sir Keir Starmer dragged into Mohamed Fayed scandal after CPS failed to bring charges on his watch
SIR Keir Starmer has been dragged into the Mohamed Fayed scandal after prosecutors failed to bring charges on his watch.
Downing Street last night insisted the PM had no involvement in the case when he led the Crown Prosecution Service.
Sir Keir was director of public prosecutions in 2009 when the decision was made to not bring the Harrod’s owner to court.
Fayed had been interviewed under caution the year before after a 15-year-old girl alleged he had sexually assaulted her in the London department store.
A No10 source yesterday categorically said: “Keir did not handle this case.
“It did not cross his desk.”
But the former director of public prosecutions still faced criticism from political rivals accusing the CPS of missing a chance to nail Fayed on his watch.
Tory shadow policing and crime minister Matt Vickers said: “Keir Starmer is always eager to take credit for other people’s work at the CPS, but whenever something went wrong under his watch it was always someone else’s fault.
“There was a chance to prosecute Fayed while Starmer was DPP but it was not taken. These latest revelations show this was yet another instance of failure.”
The CPS announced in 2009 it would not be charging Fayed because there was “no realistic prospect of conviction”.
A former head of security for the Royal Family yesterday expressed doubts Sir Keir would not have been “tipped a wink” about the allegations.
Dai Davies told Talk: “Whether the CPS looks at every case, I obviously don’t know, but I’d be surprised if somebody of [Fayed’s] notoriety, that he wasn’t made aware of it. You would think so, wouldn’t you?
“Because this man [Fayed] had been knocking on the door of the establishment, trying to get in through various means for many, many years.
“I’d be surprised if somebody hadn’t tipped him a wink, but I have no evidence of that fact.”
Since becoming leader of the Labour party, Sir Keir has faced questions over his time as head of the CPS from 2008-2013.
Boris Johnson memorably accused him of “failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile”, a case which Sir Keir again insisted did not cross his desk.
A spokesman for Sir Keir has said previously: “Keir Starmer made it his mission as director of public prosecutions to ensure that victims of crime received justice and that criminals were brought to book for their crimes.
“He is rightly proud of his record.”