Rolf Harris temporarily banned from being around children without supervision

Rolf Harris appeared in court yesterday, charged with nine counts of indecent assault and four counts of making indecent images of a child.

rolf

by Jessica Anais Rach |
Published on

The Rolf's Cartoon Club presenter attended Westminster Magistrates' Court with his wife Alwen to face the charges.

The 83-year-old spoke only to confirm his name, age and address to deputy chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot.

His defence attorney confirmed that he would be pleading not guilty to all charges including six counts of indecently assaulting a 15-year-old girl in 1980 and 1981, and three charges of indecent assault on a girl aged 14 in 1986.

The charges of making indecent images of a child date back to last year.

Rolf painted a portrait of the Queen in 2005
Rolf painted a portrait of the Queen in 2005

His family sat in the front row of the public court, as the prosecution explained that offences committed before September 1985 carry a maximum sentence of 10 years and those before, a maximum of two years.

The case has been sent to the Southwark Crown Court for hearing on October 7.

Harris’ bail conditions state that he should not approach the ten witnesses involved in the case, or be around children under the age of 18 without supervision.

The Australian-born entertainer was questioned under caution last November by officers working on Operation Yewtree, the investigation into abuse claims against Jimmy Savile, although the cases are not connected.

Harris was then arrested in March and charged in August.

The father-of-one has been in the public eye since the 1950s, hosting TV shows Animal Hospital and Rolf’s Cartoon Club, as well as performing at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee concert last year.

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