Rolf Harris’s legacy will not be as an artist who painted the Queen, or a musician who played with The Beatles, but rather as a sexual predator who carried out decades of abuse.
Once considered a jovial entertainer, on our screens for more than 60 years, a high-profile trial in 2014 saw him convicted of carrying out sex attacks on girls as young as seven.
Prosecutor Sasha Wass QC described Harris as a “Jekyll and Hyde” character, who, despite his child-friendly public image, was a “sinister pervert” with a “demon lurking beneath his charming exterior”.
The fact his depraved actions went without punishment for so long adds to the trauma for many of his victims, who say they will never recover.
How did his crimes go unchecked?
Again and again, Southwark Crown Court heard about the large, all-enveloping bear hug he would use to trap victims, swiftly sexually assaulting them before moving on as if nothing had happened.
One of the most damning pieces of evidence was a letter he sent to the father of one of his victims, in which he admitted he had a sexual relationship with her, but denied it began when she was just 13.
In the letter, Harris said he was shocked when his former victim told him she had gone along with everything he did “out of fear” and had asked her: “Why did you never just say no?”
He said she replied: “How could [I] say no to the great television star Rolf Harris?”
Image: Rolf Harris once visited Buckingham Palace to paint the Queen
Harris filmed NSPCC video while abusing youngsters
One early sign of his brazen self-belief can be found in an educational video titled Kids Can Say No.
Harris himself suggested the safety video was made, even contacting the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) to gain advice on the best way to teach children about stranger danger.
Harris is now known to have been actively abusing youngsters at the time.
Filmed in 1985, Harris presents the 20-minute video, and tells a group of primary school-age children, “even people you know and trust can be abusers”.
He goes on to warn them, “sometimes people do things to one another that don’t make them feel good”.
In the video’s finale, a large group of children and adults are led by Harris in singing: “My body’s nobody’s body but mine. You’ve got your own body, let me have mine.”
Two uniformed police officers make up part of the choir.
Image: A young Harris pictured in 1955, three years after moving to the UK
Harris on Savile: ‘We go back a long time’
Skipping forward seven years, and more archive footage – this time of Harris drawing paedophile DJ Jimmy Savile in 1992 and joking “we go back a long time” – now has disturbing implications.
Savile died aged 84 in 2011, having never been brought to justice for his crimes. He is now believed to be one of Britain’s most prolific sex offenders.
Harris’s 2014 trial saw a jury of six men and six women find him guilty of 12 counts of indecent assault on women and girls between 1969 and 1986. One of those convictions was later overturned.
Sentenced to five years and nine months in prison, he served just three.
Harris always denied the accusations against him and showed no remorse for his crimes.
Image: Harris with entertainer Rod Hull and Emu in 1987
Why did Harris feel untouchable?
Described in court as an arrogant man, who carried out many of his attacks in plain sight, Harris seemed to believe himself untouchable.
Born in Perth, Australia, to parents who had emigrated from Merthyr Tydfil in Wales, Harris moved to the UK in 1952.
He met his wife Alwen, a sculptor – who stood by him throughout his trial and time in jail – when they were both art students in London.
Image: Harris leaving court with his wife Alwen (L) and daughter Bindi (R) in June 2014
With a fair talent for painting and music, and ability to chat and entertain, it was a 10-minute art slot on a BBC children’s programme alongside a puppet called Fuzz that gave him the first taste of the limelight in 1953.
Swiftly embraced by British TV, he went on to front popular shows including The Rolf Harris Show, Rolf’s Cartoon Club and Rolf On Art.
A musical career, mainly with novelty songs, saw him top the charts with his cover version of Two Little Boys resting at number 1 for six weeks.
Harris’s career defied that of many children’s presenters, who struggle to maintain popularity after progressing into more mainstream shows.
His 10-year stint presenting Animal Hospital from 1994 to 2004 kept him a household name. Frequently becoming emotional about an unwell puppy or injured cat, it was an empathy Harris seemed unable to offer to his victims.
Image: Harris was a fan of the didgeridoo, and claims to have invented the wobble board
Following his conviction, he wrote a song in jail, describing his victims as money-grabbing “wenches” who want to make him “dance”.
Harris may have wanted to be remembered as a warm-hearted man who loved animals, invented the wobble board and could draw at the speed of light.
Stripped of his CBE and BAFTA fellowship, he will instead be remembered as a paedophile and serial sexual abuser.
Harris once told a journalist his greatest fear was not being loved.
As news of his death aged 93 is met around the world, it’s a fear that has been realised, due to his actions – and his actions alone.
Sir Keir Starmer has urged anyone with information on the Jeffrey Epstein case to come forward after Andrew Mountbatten Windsor missed the deadline to appear in front of US Congress.
US legislators have criticised Andrew for what they describe as “silence” amid their probe into Epstein after he failed to respond to their request for an interview.
When asked about Andrew missing the deadline and whether the former princeshould help the case in any way he can, Sir Keir said on his way to the G20 summit in South Africa: “I don’t comment on this particular case.”
He added that “a general principle I’ve held for a very long time is that anybody who has got relevant information in relation to these kind of cases should give that evidence to those that need it”.
Andrew is not legally obliged to talk to Congress and has always vigorously denied any wrongdoing.
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Image: Sir Keir Starmer spoke to reporters on his way to the G20 in South Africa. Pic: Reuters
It comes as Marjorie Taylor Greene, a loyal supporter-turned-critic of US President Donald Trump, said on Friday she is resigning from Congress in January.
Ms Greene’s resignation followed a public falling-out with Mr Trump in recent months, as the congresswoman criticised him for his stance on files related to Epstein, as well as on foreign policy and healthcare.
Members of the House Oversight Committee had requested a “transcribed interview” with Andrew in connection with his “long-standing friendship” with Epstein, the paedophile financier who took his own life in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.
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Releasing the Epstein files: How we got here
But after saying they had not heard back, Democrats Robert Garcia and Suhas Subramanyam accused Andrew of hiding.
Their statement read: “Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s silence in the face of the Oversight Democrat’s demand for testimony speaks volumes.
“The documents we’ve reviewed, along with public records and Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s testimony, raise serious questions he must answer, yet he continues to hide.
“Our work will move forward with or without him, and we will hold anyone who was involved in these crimes accountable, no matter their wealth, status, or political party. We will get justice for the survivors.”
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The new Epstein files: The key takeaways
It follows Andrew being stripped of his prince and Duke of York titles earlier this month.
He had previously agreed to stop using his titles, but had expected to remain a prince and retain his dukedom, ahead of the publication of the memoirs of the late Ms Giuffre, who had accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager – an accusation he denies.
A 13-year-old girl has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a woman in Swindon.
Police said the teenager was detained following an incident in Baydon Close, Moredon, in the Wiltshire town on Friday evening.
Officers responded to reports of disorder inside a house. When they arrived, a woman in her 50s living at the address was found to be not breathing. She was declared dead at the scene.
There were no other reported injuries.
Image: Forensic officers are at the scene to collect evidence
Detective Inspector Darren Ambrose, from Wiltshire Police’s major crime investigation team, said: “This is a serious incident in which a woman has sadly died.
“We have set up a cordon at the address while an investigation is carried out.
“I can confirm that we have arrested a teenage girl in connection with this incident and we are not looking for anyone else.”
Police have asked people not to speculate about the incident online as this could prejudice the case.
A police statement read: “Residents can expect to see an increased police presence in the area while we continue carrying out our enquiries into the woman’s death.
Rail fares are to be frozen for the first time in 30 years, the government has announced.
Ministers promised that millions of rail travellers will save hundreds of pounds on regulated fares, including season tickets and peak and off-peak returns between major cities.
The fare freeze applies to England and services run by English train operators.
People commuting to work three days a week using flexi-season tickets will save £315 a year travelling from Milton Keynes to London, £173 travelling from Woking to London and £57 from Bradford to Leeds, the government said.
The changes are part of Labour’s plans to rebuild a publicly owned Great British Railways. Other planned changes include tap in-tap out and digital ticketing, as well as investing in superfast Wi-Fi.
Image: The freeze applies to regulated fares, including season tickets and peak and off-peak returns. Pic: iStock
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the government was introducing a freeze on rail fares for the first time in 30 years, which “will ease the pressure on household finances and make travelling to work, school or to visit friends and family that bit easier”.
“We all want to see cheaper rail travel, so we’re freezing fares to help millions of passengers save money,” Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said.
“Commuters on more expensive routes will save more than £300 per year, meaning they keep more of their hard-earned cash.”
Rail unions and passenger groups welcomed the move, praising how it will make travel more affordable for passengers and promote more sustainable travel alternatives.
Eddie Dempsey, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, said: “More affordable fares will encourage greater use of public transport, supporting jobs, giving a shot in the arm to local economies and helping to improve the environment.”
TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said the rail fare freeze “will be a huge relief to working people”.
“This is the right decision, at the right time, to help passengers be able to afford to make that journey they need to take, and to help grow our railway in this country, because the railway is Britain’s green alternative – taking cars and lorries off our congested roads and moving people and goods safely around our country in an environmentally-friendly way,” Mick Whelan, general secretary of the train drivers union Aslef, said.
The Tories welcomed the move but said the government was “late to the platform”.
Shadow transport secretary Richard Holden said: “In government, the Conservatives kept fares on the right track with below-inflation rises and consistently called for no further hikes to protect hard-working commuters.”