Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Rolf Harris guilty: 'Up to a dozen' new victims

As many as 12 new victims of Rolf Harris have come forward to make fresh allegations, lawyers say. The legal firm which also represents victims of Jimmy Savile said it was considering the claims against Harris.

The disgraced entertainer was found guilty on Monday of 12 counts of indecent assault in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, including girls as young as seven or eight.
The Metropolitan Police said it was considering "new allegations".
Dozens more of 84-year-old Harris's alleged victims came forward during the trial, some from his native Australia.
Police in Western Australia said there were currently no new investigations into Harris but a Met spokesman said the UK force had "received a number of new allegations and these are now being considered."
'Jekyll and Hyde' Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he was "gutted and dismayed" by the conviction.
Mr Abbot told Australia's ABC radio sexual abuse was "an utterly abhorrent crime" and added: "It's just sad and tragic that this person, who was widely admired, seems to have been a perpetrator."
Tributes to Perth-born Harris in Western Australia could now be removed, the city's mayor Lisa Scaffidi said.
Harris with his wife and daughter Harris started a family in the UK after emigrating from Australia in 1952
During his trial prosecutors said Harris was a "Jekyll and Hyde" character who took advantage of his fame.
The judge, Mr Justice Sweeney, said a custodial term would be "uppermost in the court's mind" when sentence was delivered on Friday, but he wanted to see a medical report before passing sentence.
The verdict was greeted on the front page of the Sydney Morning Herald with a full-page mugshot beneath a one-word "Guilty" headline.
Rolf Harris police mugshot Harris's photograph was splashed on front pages in his native Australia
The central allegation concerned a friend of Harris's daughter who he had groomed and molested from the age of 13 until she was 19.
His other victims were touched or groped, sometimes at his public appearances.
Six other women also told the court about indecent assaults Harris had carried out against them. The entertainer was not prosecuted over those incidents but the evidence was introduced by the prosecution as an added illustration of his behaviour.
Broadmoor visit Harris, from Bray, Berkshire, was first questioned in November 2012 in Scotland Yard's Operation Yewtree investigation set up in the wake of sexual abuse allegations against the late BBC Radio 1 DJ Jimmy Savile.
Although his arrest was unconnected to Savile's offending, the publicity surrounding that case had prompted the friend of Harris's daughter to come forward.
Lawyers for Harris wrote to media organisations including the BBC at the time warning them against naming their client and threatening libel action.
When he was arrested again in March 2013 the Met did not name Harris and he was not identified in the mainstream media until a few weeks later.
The other women who gave evidence in court contacted police after Harris's arrest was made public and he was charged in August of that year.
Rolf Harris as Father Christmas holding humpty dumpty with little children The musician and artist was a regular on children's television
Harris was named last week in a report into the actions of Savile, which revealed he had visited Broadmoor in 1973.
Politicians and officials have faced criticism for allowing the man whose prolific abuse sparked the Yewtree investigation unrestricted access to the psychiatric hospital where he abused patients.
A spokeswoman for West London Mental Heath NHS Trust, which runs services at Broadmoor, said Harris may have been accompanied by Savile during his visit but that he was also escorted by staff at all times and there was "no suggestion of any inappropriate behaviour".
'Beyond belief' One of Harris's victims, Tonya Lee, 43, said the abuse had led her to contemplate taking her own life.
Tonya Lee said she had been abused by Harris while on a visit to the UK when she was 15
The mother-of-three said: "To this day I can't go to sleep without lying in a lounge and having the TV on. I cannot lie in a room and try and sit with my thoughts and go to sleep."
Letitia Fitzpatrick, who gave a character reference for the prosecution about an alleged assault, told the BBC: "It was such an unpleasant experience that I just wanted to forget about it and move on and not really think about it again."
Rolf Harris leaving court Harris made no comment when he left court after the verdicts
Meanwhile it has emerged that Harris fronted a child protection awareness video in the 1980s in which he was filmed telling children how to say no to predatory adults.
John Cameron - head of child protection at the NSPCC - told BBC Breakfast: "The audacity of the man is beyond belief.
"Here he was, giving this pretence that he had children's welfare at heart, but of course behind the scenes, in front of many people, he was abusing children on a regular basis."
The charity says calls to its helpline were up by a third on Monday.
It says it has received 28 calls about Harris, including 13 people who said they had been abused by him.
Rolf Harris arrives at court on 30 June 2014 with daughter Bindi (l), wife Alwen (r) and niece Jenny (second r) He was accompanied during the trial by daughter Bindi (r), wife Alwen, and his niece Jenny (l)
Speaking after the entertainer was convicted, Det Ch Insp Mick Orchard, said: "I want to thank the women who came forward for their bravery, I hope today's guilty verdict will give them closure and help them to begin to move on with their lives.
"Today's case and verdict once again shows that we will always listen to, and investigate allegations regardless of the time frame or those involved."
Director of Public Prosecutions Alison Saunders said it was too early to say whether Harris could face further action.
"We'll work with the police and look at any cases that they send to us and see if there is enough evidence to bring more charges," she told the BBC.
Rolf Harris Harris found fame as a singer and entertainer after starting out as an artist
Rolf Harris with the Queen and Kylie Minogue at the Diamond Jubilee concert in June 2012 He painted a portrait of the Queen in 2005 and took part in her Diamond Jubilee concert seven years later
Prince Charles with Harris and his wife There are calls to strip Harris of awards he has received in Australia and the UK
Harris was a mainstay of family entertainment in Britain and his native Australia for more than 50 years. He arrived in London in 1952, becoming a fixture on TV screens as a children's entertainer, songwriter, and entertainer, on the BBC and other networks.
'Absolute disgrace' He is to be stripped of his British Academy of Film and Television Arts fellowship - the TV industry's highest accolade - which was awarded just two years ago, a Bafta spokesman said.
There are also calls for him to lose the honours awarded to him by the Queen during a lifetime in the entertainment industry.
Labour MP Simon Danczuk said: "I think the guy is an absolute disgrace and he is bringing the whole honours system into disrepute."
A final decision on whether to revoke Harris's CBE and MBE rests with Buckingham Palace.
The Australian, who began his career as an artist, received his CBE in 2005, the year he painted a portrait of the Queen to mark her 80th birthday.