Rolf Harris was arrested again on suspicion of new offenses.
Rolf Harris, 83, was questioned over “further allegations” made to detectives at Scotland Yard’s Operation Yewtree.
They arose after he was first revealed to be a suspect in the controversial inquiry four months ago.
The British police refused to discuss the nature of the allegations. But they are now believed to involve more than one complainant and cover a period of several years.
Police insisted that the allegations remain unconnected to Jimmy Savile, who sparked the Yewtree inquiry.
Rolf Harris was arrested again on suspicion of new offenses
Neighbors said Rolf Harris has not been seen at his home in Bray, Berkshire, for several days.
The Australian-born star is the biggest name to be arrested as part of the inquiry.
It is understood that he vehemently denies the allegations but has declined to issue a formal statement on the matter.
Rolf Harris’s wife of 55 years is the Welsh sculptress and jeweller Alwen Hughes, 81.
The artist and singer received a rapturous reception from fans when he performed on London’s South Bank and in Bristol this year.
Others held as part of Operation Yewtree include pop star Gary Glitter, comedian Freddie Starr, DJ Dave Lee Travis, publicist Max Clifford and comedian Jim Davidson.
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Channel 5 has decided to suspend Rolf Harris’ Animal Clinic programme until his arrest as part of Operation Yewtree has been cleared up.
Earlier this week, it was announced that Rolf Harris, 83, is questioned by the Metropolitan Police in London over alleged historical claims of sexual abuse.
Rolf Harris’ vetinary show Rolf’s Animal Clinic has been airing on Wednesday evenings on Channel 5, attracting an audience of around 800,000.
Channel 5′s wrote on Twitter: “While this legal matter involving Rolf Harris is on-going we have removed his shows from the Channel 5 schedule.”
Channel 5 has decided to suspend Rolf Harris’ Animal Clinic programme until his arrest as part of Operation Yewtree has been cleared up
It was reported last month that Rolf Harris had been arrested and bailed until May in relation to Operation Yewtree, which was set up after hundreds of sexual abuse allegations were made against TV presenter Jimmy Savile.
Rolf Harris has yet to comment on the allegations made against him.
So far 12 people have reportedly been arrested with regards to the operation.
The fate of Rolf Harris’s one-man show at the Bristol Hippodrome next month now hangs in the balance, with organizers saying it may have to be cancelled.
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Rolf Harris’ wife, Alwen Hughes, has spoken of the entertainer’s torment at his arrest for alleged sexual offences in Operation Yewtree.
Alwen Hughes, a Welsh sculptress, told a friend that neither of them had been able to sleep since the historical allegations of abuse had surfaced.
Rolf Harris, 83, was finally named this week after being quizzed by police in Jimmy Savile case late last year and arrested last month.
Alwen Hughes, who wed Rolf Harris in 1958, told the friend: “My poor husband. It’s terrible, we’ve been really worrying about it. We’ve both been having sleepless nights over it all.”
Meanwhile, reports in Australia say detectives investigating the claims plan to fly to Sydney next month to interview two potential witnesses.
According to the Sydney Sunday Telegraph, officers from Operation Yewtree – the British Metropolitan Police sexual abuse inquiry prompted by revelations about fellow children’s television Jimmy Savile – planned to take statements from the two people face-to-face Down Under.
Rolf Harris’ wife, Alwen Hughes, has spoken of the entertainer’s torment at his arrest for alleged sexual offences in Operation Yewtree
Friends are concerned about Rolf Harris as he has admitted suffering depression in the past. Talking about that period in an interview Rolf Harris said: “I didn’t know what to do with myself, I didn’t know what to think.
“I now know what people mean when they say <<I’ve got clinical depression>>. I’d never felt so low. There’s no way out of the blackness.”
In a chat with Piers Morgan two years ago Rolf Harris said his depression had affected his family.
“They said I was a total stranger,” the entertainer said.
“They had never seen me like this… it was such a black period, like my life was over.”
The friend who spoke to Alwen Hughes and has known the couple for more than 50 years, said he could not believe Rolf Harris had done anything wrong. He added: “It was important to let him know I am there for him.
“Rolf is a lovely, loyal devoted husband and father and I can’t imagine him ever doing anything to tarnish his image. His wife was grateful for my call. She said it was good to know who their real friends were.”
Melbourne-based promoter Dennis Smith, who twice took Rolf Harris on tour in Australia, said the Two Little Boys singer was a “lovely man” with an original talent.
Of their time on the road Dennis Smith added Rolf Harris was “a laid-back quiet guy, not a party animal”.
The gates of Rolf Harris’s Thameside home in Bray, Berks, remained shut yesterday, but a handful of callers were let in.
Channel 5 said it had dropped reruns of Rolf’s Animal Clinic and children’s animation Olive the Ostrich pending the outcome of their star’s “legal matter”.
Rolf Harris, who denies the allegations, was interviewed under caution in November. He was arrested on March 28 and bailed until May.
Scotland Yard refused to comment.
Police are on the verge of making an announcement over whether or not 11 men investigated under Operation Yewtree will be charged with sex crimes.
The probe was launched last October after Jimmy Savile was exposed as a predatory paedophile with at least 450 victims.
Officers have been working closely with lawyers at the Crown Prosecution Service, who will have the final say on bringing cases to court.
Famous names arrested so far include singer Gary Glitter, comics Freddie Starr and Jim Davidson, DJ Dave Lee Travis and PR guru Max Clifford. All deny any wrongdoing.
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Rolf Harris, the Australian entertainer and artist who moved to the UK decades ago, has been questioned by police over historical allegations of sexual offences.
Rolf Harris, 83, was interviewed under caution after attending police premises in south London by appointment in November.
On March 28, Rolf Harris, from Berkshire, was arrested and bailed until May.
The entertainer was held as part of the inquiry set up after claims were made against Jimmy Savile although his arrest is unrelated to the former BBC DJ and TV presenter.
Operation Yewtree was set up following the death of Jimmy Savile in 2011, when hundreds of sex abuse allegations came to light.
The Metropolitan Police did not name Rolf Harris after he was first questioned or following his arrest and have still not formally identified him. He is described by them as Yewtree 5.
Although the media were aware of Rolf Harris’s name in November, they chose only to report that an 82-year-old man had been questioned. His name was first reported by the Sun on its website and later editions of the newspaper on Friday.
Rolf Harris was held as part of the inquiry set up after claims were made against Jimmy Savile although his arrest is unrelated to the former BBC DJ and TV presenter
Rolf Harris, a fixture on British TV screens for more than 40 years, arrived in the UK from his native Australia in 1952.
His home in Berkshire was searched in November but he was not in the house at that point.
Scotland Yard said in March: “An 82-year-old man from Berkshire was arrested by officers on Operation Yewtree on suspicion of sexual offences.
“He has been bailed to a date in May pending further inquiries. The individual falls under the strand of the investigation we have termed <<others>>.”
Rolf Harris, one of 12 people arrested as part of Operation Yewtree, has not yet made any public comment.
The police investigation has three strands.
One is looking specifically at the actions of Jimmy Savile, and the second strand concerns allegations against “Savile and others”.
The third strand relates to complaints against other people unconnected to the Savile investigations, made by people who came forward after widespread coverage of the scandal.
Other high-profile names who were questioned in connection with the investigation are PR consultant Max Clifford, comedian Freddie Starr, DJ Dave Lee Travis and comedian Jim Davidson – who all deny any wrongdoing. Gary Glitter, 69, whose real name is Paul Gadd, who was also arrested, has not yet made a statement.
A former driver for the BBC, David Smith, 66, has been charged with past sex offences following his arrest in December.
A former BBC producer, Wilfred De’Ath, arrested last year in Cambridgeshire over an allegation of indecent assault on a girl in the 1960s, has been told he will not face any charges.
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