- The 84-year-old Australian abused four women between 1968 and 1986
- Victims included a seven-year-old autograph hunter and daughter's friend
- Entertainer remained impassive as the unanimous verdicts were returned
- Harris told by judge that jail is 'inevitable' and will pass sentence on Friday
- NSPCC has had 28 calls from 13 people who claim they were also abused
Rolf Harris
has today been found guilty of 12 counts of indecent assault, including
a 16-year campaign of sexual abuse on his daughter's best friend from
the age of 13.
A
seven-year-old autograph hunter was also attacked by the 84-year-old
entertainer, who was told jail is 'inevitable' after he was convicted of
sex attacks on four women between 1968 and 1986.
The paedophile remained impassive in the dock as the jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts and Harris then raised his
eyebrows to his wife Alwen as he was led away.
Guilty: Rolf Harris, 84, was found guilty of 12
counts of indecent assault today, pictured arriving at court with his
daughter Bindi (left), wife Alwen(right) and niece Jenny Harris (far
right)
Justice Sweeney warned Harris: 'He will
understand that in doing that I'm giving no indication whatsoever as to
the nature of the sentence.
'In reality, given the conviction on all
12 counts it's inevitable that the type of sentence that is upper most
in the court's mind is a custodial sentence and he must understand
that.'
His
daughter Bindi held hands with a fellow supporter, and his wife and
niece Jenny also watched from the public gallery as his fate was sealed.
Outside
the courtroom, a tearful Bindi was seen walking the corridor with Alwen
and Jenny, near where her father had been taken into a side room with
his legal team.
The
jury agreed that the entertainer was a 'Jekyll and Hyde' character who
had a dark side to his personality and used his fame to abuse under-age
girls with impunity.
Warning: Rolf Harris was told it is 'inevitable'
that he will be jailed after being found guilty of abusing four women,
some when they were children
Harris had claimed he was simply a warm, tactile family man and the victim of lies from four women.
Once
seen by a UK audience as a national treasure, Harris had enjoyed years
of success, netting him a multi-million pound fortune and the chance to
paint the Queen.
Harris' reputation for groping was so widespread that he was dubbed 'The Octopus' in TV circles in Australia.
He
carefully concealed the 'demon lurking beneath his charming exterior'
to maintain his reputation as a national treasure during his glittering
60-year career.
The former Animal Hospital star hid his 'Jekyll and Hyde' personality as he treated his victims like his 'pets'.
He arrogantly assumed he was 'untouchable' and his 'dark side' would never be exposed.
Harris
faced 12 charges of indecent assault between 1968 and 1986, seven of
which related to the best friend of his only child, Bindi, now 50.
He
began grooming the girl when she was 13, treating her like 'a young
puppy' after first molesting her on a family holiday to Hawaii and
Australia in 1978.
Harris continued to target her when they returned to Britain, before 'psychologically dominating her into womanhood'.
She
was 'dehumanised' during a 16-year campaign of abuse, which transformed
her from a 'care-free child' to an 'emotionally scarred adult', and
sparked her descent into depression and chronic alcoholism.
The
'Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport' singer wrote a letter to her father
begging for forgiveness after the sordid details emerged in 1997.
But
he doggedly protested his innocence, insisting she 'willingly' took
part in a consensual relationship after 'seducing' him when she was an
adult.
And Harris desperately tried to wriggle out of trouble by telling her brother: 'It takes two to tango'.
Manipulative: The millionaire TV
personality - pictured in 2000 (left) and in October 1970 (right) as
star of The Rolf Harris Show - 'exploited the very children who were
drawn to him'
Prosecutor Sasha Wass QC described her as a 'damaged and emotionally dead creature', adding:
'He used her for his sexual gratification like she was a blow up doll.
'He used her for his sexual gratification like she was a blow up doll.
'She had been psychologically destroyed and trained to perform like a pet.'
The
cartoonist's other victims included a seven-year-old autograph hunter
he targeted on stage after performing his hit 'Two Little Boys' in 1969.
He
also fondled a teenage waitress after crouching on all fours and
barking at a dog during filming of ITV show Star Games in Cambridge in
1978.
Harris
was adamant he had never visited the university city until four years
ago - but was outed as a 'deliberate liar' after bombshell footage of
the programme, unearthed during his evidence, proved otherwise.
He
also pounced on child actress Tonya Lee - who has waived her anonymity -
twice in a London pub during a theatre tour of Britain in 1986, when
she was 15.
But
the octogenarian, who gave the world the 'wobble board', blasted his
accusers as 'liars', insisting their claims 'never happened'.
He conceded being 'touchy feely' but slammed suggestions of sexual abuse.
Didgeridoo-playing Harris called a string of defence character witnesses including Bindi - who panned the accusations of her former childhood pal as 'laughable'.
Didgeridoo-playing Harris called a string of defence character witnesses including Bindi - who panned the accusations of her former childhood pal as 'laughable'.
But she admitted feeling suicidal after learning of her father's 'deviant' sexual behaviour.
Harris' downfall was part of millions of British childhoods came today, as Harris became
the biggest scalp claimed by detectives from high profile sex crime
investigation Operation Yewtree.
Dozens
more alleged victims have come forward during the trial, including
several in Australia, and Scotland Yard has been in touch with their
counterparts in the Australian police, but it is not yet clear whether
they are pursuing any investigation in Harris's home country.
The
NSPCC said it has received 28 calls relating to Harris to date,
involving 13 people who claim they fell prey to the performer.
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