‘He’d kiss you in front of people, it left you powerless to complain’
Three more American victims of Sir Philip Green have come forward to allege sexual harassment despite a “gag” on British victims.
Former employees of Topshop have told The Daily Telegraph that the businessman “slapped” their bottoms, grabbed their waists and made comments about their weight when they worked for the organisation.
One former staff member claimed the tycoon once put his hand under her dress to squeeze her bottom while posing for a photo at a promotional event.
Another alleged he would kiss them on the lips without warning.
The women said that some of the incidents were witnessed by senior managers or human resources executives, which meant they felt powerless to complain. “He did this in front of people, so it’s not like it’s behind closed doors,” one said.
The revelations are likely to increase pressure on Sir Philip – who is at the centre of Britain’s Metoo scandal.
It will also raise further questions about free speech, because British victims are unable to speak out after the billionaire successfully obtained an injunction to stop this newspaper reporting details of allegations of sexual harassment and racism.
Sir Philip denies any of his conduct towards staff has been unlawful, and has previously dismissed the claims as “banter”.
Yesterday, The Telegraph revealed how a former Topshop manager accused the businessman of sexual harassment. Auna Irvine, who ran one of the billionaire’s flagship shops in America, became the first woman to publicly accuse the billionaire of repeatedly grabbing her by the waist and slapping her bottom, making regular comments about her breasts and saying she needed to lose weight.
She said she was left so demeaned by her treatment that she ended up seeking counselling.
The Telegraph is currently unable to report allegations made by British employees about sexual harassment and racism because of an injunction.
However, this newspaper is now able to report what other employees in the US claim to have experienced while working for the billionaire’s retail empire.
One woman, who worked for the organisation in 2012, said that Sir Philip “smacked” her bottom and made comments about her weight. These incidents were witnessed by another employee that The Telegraph has spoken to.
Another woman, who worked at the Topshop store in Las Vegas during the same period, said she too endured unwanted touching from Sir Philip.
“Yeah, he harasses women, he’s very inappropriate, he’s very vulgar. But you can’t say anything to him because he’s Sir Philip, because you work for him, so you’re like ‘OK’, you know, you kind of just play along, and it’s just like it’s humiliating,” she said.
“He’d kiss you, like, in front of people, or, like, he was just very touchy, like touchy, touchy,” she added.
“He would touch you, grab you, like hold you at the waist and hold you and you’re just standing there, like ‘OK’. Oh yeah, he would slap you on the butt or grab you by on the waist or just make comments.” She added Sir Philip would often make comments about her weight, and loudly compare her figure to other workers in the Las Vegas store. His behaviour made her feel humiliated, she said. “He would just grab you and kiss you on the lips in front of people, and you’re just like ‘holy f---, what just happened?” She also said that she believed a member of staff who reported to her had an “incident” with Sir Philip that left the woman very upset.
“We were at the party, my team, at the club, and obviously Sir Philip was there and the execs,” she said. “The whole time he wanted her to sit by him the whole f------ time… he wouldn’t let her go anywhere. I’m, like, I’m like, looking at this, like ‘what the f---’ and then my boss was just like ‘I don’t know what to do’.” She said that she had told her boss, but that they felt too “powerless” to complain formally and didn’t want to lose their jobs.
“It’s just, honestly, it’s the work environment, and you’re incredibly intimidated,” she added. The Telegraph tracked down the junior sales assistant, who left the American shop shortly after the alleged harassment from Sir Philip. She claimed that she had been groped by the businessman at the event, while the pair posed for a photograph. “We were literally at a party, it was a party full of people, and we were taking a picture of myself and the rest of the staff,” she said. “I just happened to be next to him in one of the pictures and he happened to put his hand under my dress. [He had his ] hand up my dress, like grabbing my butt.”
The woman said Sir Philip would pull her close and whisper inappropriate comments in her ear. “I mean, honestly, it was so long ago I don’t remember verbatim what he said, but just very sexually explicit things,” she said.
“He’s just a pervy old man. But, I mean, the only thing that separates
‘You can’t say anything to him because he’s Sir Philip, because you work for him, it’s just like it’s humiliating’
‘The only thing that separates him from someone else that does the same things is that he has money’
him from someone else that does the same things is that he has money.”
The woman said that she did not make a formal complaint, because she felt her superiors would not act.
“What am I going to do?” she asked. “Follow the chain of command and HR and complain about the owner of the company? That’s not going to do anything, that’s going to get me fired from my job, essentially.”
Another woman who worked in New York for the retail brand said that Sir Philip “slapped” her bottom while she was at work and regularly made comments about how he would “smack” her bottom, as well as asking if she had been “naughty”.
She said she found the comments and actions “shocking”, but felt powerless to complain because the incidents were witnessed by several senior executives and the behaviour appeared to be accepted.