The British public once considered Australian child entertainer Rolf Harris a national treasure – until the mask slipped, and he was exposed as a vile paedophile.
Much like Jimmy Savile, Rolf used his celebrity to do the unspeakable. For years, he molested and abused his victims in plain sight.
But where is he now, did his wife stick by him, and how many victims have come forward?
As a new documentary about him comes out in May 2023, here’s the disturbing truth about the TV personality, and how he got away with his crimes for so long.
***Warning: contains upsetting details of child abuse***
What was Rolf famous for?
Australian-born Rolf Harris was first known as a champion swimmer in his home country, before finding fame as a children’s TV entertainer.The British public knew him for his art, and his use of music, on his many TV shows.
Rolf came to England in 1953, when he was 22 years old, to study and a year later presented a children’s art show on the BBC.
He played the didgeridoo and the wobble board – his own invention – and released several songs including Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport, and Jake the Peg.
His recording of Two Little Boys reached number 1 in the UK.
During the 1960s and 1970s, Rolf Harris presented TV shows including Rolf’s Cartoon Club and Animal Hospital.
Sickeningly, he hosted a short educational film called Kids Can Say No! in 1985. He warned children how to avoid situations where they might be sexually abused in the film.
His career ended abruptly when he was exposed as a paedophile. Prosecutors accused him of using his fame to get close to underage girls. Following his conviction, authorities stripped him of many of the honours he had been awarded during his career.
TV channels also pulled reruns of any TV shows featuring Rolf Harris from syndication.
When did police arrest Rolf Harris?
Police arrested Rolf Harris as part of the Operation Yewtree police investigation, after the Jimmy Savile sexual abuse scandal broke in late 2012.
Officers questioned him in May 2013 regarding historical allegations of sexual offences. He consistently proclaimed his innocence and denied any wrongdoing. Police bailed him without charge.
However, just a year later – in August 2013 – Operation Yewtree officers arrested Rolf Harris again. That time, he was charged with nine counts of indecent assault dating to the 1980s, involving two girls between 14 and 16 years old. He was also charged with four counts alleging production of indecent child images in 2012.
Why was Rolf Harris in jail?
Rolf Harris’ very public trial took place in 2014. He was subsequently convicted of the sexual assault of four underage girls.
His trial heard that one of the victims was a childhood friend of his daughter and another a young autograph hunter.
In July 2014, a judge sentenced Rolf Harris to five years and nine months in prison on 12 counts of indecent assault on four female victims during the 1970s and 1980s. He was 84 at the time.
Judge Mr Justice Sweeney said he had taken advantage of his celebrity status and shown “no remorse”.
He was released on licence in 2017, after serving nearly three years at HM Prison Stafford.
How many people did Rolf abuse?
Rolf was convicted of 12 indecent assaults, on four underage girls.These included one on an eight-year-old autograph hunter, two on girls in their early teens, and a catalogue of abuse against his daughter’s friend over 16 years.
The offences took place between 1968 and 1986.
During the trial at Southwark Crown Court, one victim said Rolf Harris had groped her bottom at a celebrity event, when she was 13 or 14.
Another said the TV personality “aggressively and forcefully” groped her when she was eight, twice putting his hand between her legs after she had queued for his autograph.
In 2017, the disgraced entertainer had one of his indecent assault convictions overturned after an appeal to the British courts. But he was denied the opportunity to appeal 11 other convictions for indecent assault.
Where is Rolf Harris now?
Rolf Harris was released on licence in 2017, after serving nearly three years at HM Prison Stafford.
He is now living a life out of the spotlight on his Berkshire estate in Bray.
He was last seen in public in 2020, near his home while walking his dog.
According to The Sun, Rolf Harris is said to be “gravely ill” and receiving round the clock care for neck cancer. Reports from November 2022 say he can no longer eat or talk due to his condition.
How old is Rolf now?
Rolf Harris was born on March 30 1930 in Bassendean, Western Australia.
He is currently 93 years old.
Who is his wife? Is he still married?
Rolf Harris married Welsh sculptor and jeweller Alwen Hughes on March 01, 1958, in London. They were both art students at the time. At their wedding, they famously had a poodle as bridesmaid.
The pair remain married. Alwen stuck by Rolf Harris during his trial, and subsequent jail term.
According to reports, Alwen is now wheelchair-bound and remains living with her husband in Berkshire.
During his 2017 appeal hearing, Rolf Harris’ solicitor read a statement from him saying: “Whilst I am pleased that this is finally over, I feel no sense of victory – just relief.
“I am 87 years old, my wife is in ill-health and we simply want to spend our remaining time together.”
The Sun reports that Alwen Hughes has Alzheimer’s disease.
Does Rolf Harris have children?
Rolf Harris and his wife Alwen Hughes welcomed their only daughter in March 1964. They names her Bindi after a town in Western Australia.
Bindi, who is now 59 years old, attended court every day with her mum and dad during his trial. She stood by her father following his conviction for sex offences.
She defended him in her 2018 book, entitled Living With a Pervert. Shockingly, she claimed that his generation was to blame for his “flirty” behaviour.
In an extract seen by the Daily Star Sunday, she says: “Dad is from the age of Benny Hill, Carry On films. He is Australian – which was pretty male chauvinist in those days – that is the era he is from, so sometimes he says non-PC jokes.”
She continued: “He loves a flirt, which he does very openly, much to my embarrassment, but I have met many a man from my dad’s generation like that.”
Her continued support of her dad led to the collapse of her long-term relationship with partner Malcolm Cox. At the time, he told the court they split because he was concerned their son wouldn’t be safe around his famous grandfather.
Bindi also told the court she contemplated suicide in the late ’90s after discovering her father had an 11-year ‘affair’ with her best friend.
In fact, Bindi’s childhood friend claimed Rolf abused her from the age of 13. A jury agreed after she testified against him in court, under the pseudonym Victim A.
Where did paedophile Rolf Harris live?
Rolf Harris lived in the UK for most of his adult life, despite being Australian.
He lived in Bray, Berkshire, England, for more than 60 years.
Where is Rolf Harris’ portrait of the Queen?
In 2005, Rolf Harris painted an official portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II: An 80th Birthday Portrait was an oil painting, commissioned by the BBC for the Queen’s 80th birthday.
In the portrait, the Queen wore a turquoise dress, and sat twice for the artist. It took Rolf Harris two months to complete.
The painting was unveiled at the Queen’s Gallery in Buckingham Palace and publicly displayed there from 2005 to 2006. A BBC television special entitled The Queen, by Rolf, was broadcast on BBC One on 1 January 2006.
The British public voted the painting the second-most-favoured portrait of the Queen.
The location and ownership of the painting are presently unknown.
The National Portrait Gallery refused Harris’ offer of the portrait. The most popular theory is that the painting was returned to the artist.
Rolf Harris: Hiding in Plain Sight documentary on ITV
ITV has confirmed a two-part documentary on former child entertainer and convicted paedophile Rolf Harris, which will stream from Thursday, May 18, 2023.
The two-parter will air on ITVX and will examine “how the TV personality got away for his crimes for so long”.
Documentary Rolf Harris: Hiding in Plain Sight will feature interviews with Harris’ victims, the police who investigated him and his colleagues.
In a statement, ITV said: “Harris led a toxic double-life, molesting contributors and crew on the shows he worked on for years.
“Almost a decade on from his arrest, the films speak directly to Harris’ accusers, telling the story of how his assaults became gradually more serious throughout his excelling television career in the 70s and 80s.”
Each hour-long instalment will track Harris’ rise and fall, from eccentric artist and child entertainer to the trial that ensued following an investigation in the wake of the Jimmy Savile sexual abuse scandal. Filmmakers hope the films will explore his remorseless attitude in court, and his wife and daughter’s decision to stand by him.
Speaking of the news, ITV boss Kate Teckman said: “There are few stories as shocking as Rolf Harris. These films give a voice to Harris’ accusers, and will reveal just how the seemingly wholesome ‘national treasure’ was able to molest and abuse his victims in plain sight.”
Read more: Rolf Harris ITV documentary will examine ‘how he abused victims in plain sight’
The Rolf Harris: Hiding in Plain Sight documentary will stream on ITVX from Thursday, May 18, 2023.
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