Rolf Harris charged with 13 child sex offences
August 29, 2013 ·
Josh Halliday
www.theguardian.com Thursday 29 August 2013 12.05 BST
Rolf Harris, who was first interviewed under caution last year and arrested in March under Operation Yewtree. Photograph: Mark Liley/Allstar/Sportsphoto Rolf Harris has been charged with 13 offences under Operation Yewtree, including nine counts of indecent assault and four counts of making indecent images of a child in 2012.
The 83-year-old Australian entertainer, who had a long career in British children’s TV in the 1960s and 1970s, is accused of three counts of indecently assaulting a 14-year-old girl in 1986 and six of indecently assaulting a girl aged between 15 and 16 from 1980 to 1981. He is also charged with four counts of making indecent images of a child between March and July 2012. Alison Saunders, the chief crown prosecutor for CPS London, said: “We have carefully considered the evidence gathered by the Metropolitan police service as part of Operation Yewtree in relation to Rolf Harris, who was initially arrested on 29 November 2012 over allegations of sexual offences.
A file of evidence was passed to the CPS on 12 August 2013. “Having completed our review, we have concluded that there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest for Mr Harris to be charged with nine counts of indecent assault and four of making indecent images of a child. The alleged indecent assaults date from 1980 to 1986 and relate to two complainants aged 14 and 15 at the time of the alleged offending. “The decision to prosecute has been taken in accordance with the code for crown prosecutors and the DPP’s interim guidelines on prosecuting cases of child sexual abuse. We have determined that there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and that a prosecution is in the public interest.”
Harris was initially interviewed under caution on 29 November last year under the Operation Yewtree investigation into alleged sexual offences by Jimmy Savile and others. He was then arrested on 28 March and bailed pending further inquiries. He will appear at Westminster magistrates court on 23 September. Saunders warned the public in a statement that Harris had a right to a fair trial. “It is very important that nothing is said, or reported, which could prejudice that trial. For these reasons, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further,” she said.
The list of charges is as follows: four counts of indecent assault on a girl aged under 16 between 1980 and 1981; three counts of indecent assault on a girl aged under 16 in 1986; one count of making an indecent image of children on or before 16 March 2012; a second count of making an indecent image of children on or before 25 May 2012; a third count of making an indecent image of children on or before 11 June 2012; and a fourth count of making an indecent image of children on or before 18 July 2012.
Harris was a TV favourite for generations of children in Britain and Australia, making his debut on the BBC in 1953 and going on to front his own series, The Rolf Harris Show, between 1967 and 1974 on BBC1 where he became famous for his painting. In later years he hosted an art series, Rolf on Art, and his portrait of the Queen for her 80th birthday was exhibited at Buckingham Palace.
