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Australia has stripped Rolf Harris of honors after his conviction last year for child assault offences.
A brief statement said that Rolf Harris’ appointments as Officer and Member of the Order of Australia had been terminated by Governor General Peter Cosgrove.
Rolf Harris, 84, was jailed in July 2014 for nearly six years for 12 indecent assaults against four girls.
The offences took place between 1968 and 1986.
Australia operates a separate honors system to that of the UK. Rolf Harris has also been awarded honors under the UK system.
Rolf Harris has appeared on TV screens as a children’s entertainer and songwriter.
Earlier this month Rolf Harris was again questioned by police regarding assault allegations.
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Rolf Harris has lost the first appeal against his conviction for assault.
The 84-year-old disgraced entertainer was jailed in July for nearly six years for 12 indecent assaults on four girls, including one aged just seven or eight.
The Judicial Office confirmed a judge had refused Rolf Harris’ application for permission to appeal, lodged in August.
Rolf Harris can still renew the application before three judges at the Court of Appeal.
Rolf Harris has lost the first appeal against his conviction for assault
The artist, TV presenter and musician was convicted at London’s Southwark Crown Court in June.
Rolf Harris was jailed for five years and nine months for the offences, which took place between 1968 and 1986.
Attorney General Jeremy Wright decided in July not to refer Rolf Harris’ sentence to the Court of Appeal despite 150 complaints over its “leniency”.
He said he did not think judges would find it to be unduly lenient and increase it.
Rolf Harris’s victims included a young autograph hunter, two girls in their early teens and a friend of his daughter’s against whom he committed a catalogue of abuse over several years.
Rolf Harris has applied for permission to appeal against his assault conviction, a spokesman for the Judicial Office says.
The 84-year-old entertainer was jailed in July for five years and nine months for 12 assaults.
The Judicial Office said his lawyers had lodged papers at the Court of Appeal.
A judge will now decide if his appeal bid should progress to a full hearing.
Rolf Harris has applied for permission to appeal against his assault conviction (photo Getty Images)
On Wednesday, Attorney General Jeremy Wright decided not to refer Rolf Harris’s sentence to the Court of Appeal despite 150 complaints over its “leniency”.
Jeremy Wright said he did not think judges would find it to be unduly lenient and increase it.
Rolf Harris, an artist, TV presenter and musician, was found guilty of all 12 assaults of which he was accused in his trial at Southwark Crown Court in London.
His victims included a young autograph hunter, two girls in their early teens and a friend of his daughter’s against whom he committed a catalogue of abuse over several years.
The offences took place between 1968 and 1986.
Rolf Harris has been stripped of a Bafta fellowship and accolades in his native Australia. He also faces losing his CBE.
Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police has confirmed it has received “a number of allegations” about Rolf Harris since his conviction, which are being investigated.
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Rolf Harris has been sentenced to five years and 9 months in jail for 12 assaults against four girls.
Rolf Harris, 84, who was found guilty of offences that took place between 1968 and 1986, was told by the judge he had “no-one to blame but himself”.
The judge said Rolf Harris had taken advantage of his celebrity status and had shown “no remorse”.
One victim said the abuse had taken away her “childhood innocence”.
Rolf Harris’s sentence of five years and nine months has already been referred to the Attorney General’s Office under the “unduly lenient sentence scheme”.
Rolf Harris has been sentenced to five years and 9 months in jail for 12 assaults against four girls (photo AP)
A spokesman for the office said it “only takes one person to trigger the process”, and the sentence must be considered within 28 days for possible referral to the Court of Appeal.
The judge said Rolf Harris had “clearly got a thrill from committing some of these offences” against the four girls, one of whom who was just seven or eight.
The other victims were two young teenagers and a childhood friend of Rolf Harris’s daughter Bindi, whom he abused between the ages of 13 and 19.
The judge said the assaults resulted in her suffering panic attacks, anxiety and led to her becoming an alcoholic, saying she had “suffered severe psychological harm”.
Speaking after sentencing, she said the jail term was “immaterial”.
“I feel fine, I think the guilty verdict was actually what I wanted, what I went to court for,” she said.
She added: “I do hope that women will come forward now, celebrity or not.”
Rolf Harris is likely to serve half the sentence in prison and was told he would not have to pay compensation to his victims. However, the judge said he could have to pay the costs of the prosecution.
Two of Rolf Harris’s victims were in court for the sentencing, which saw members of the press and public fill the public gallery and watch from an overspill court via a video feed.
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Entertainer Rolf Harris is due to be sentenced for assaulting four girls in the 1960s, 70s and 80s.
Rolf Harris, 84, was found guilty of all the 12 charges he faced after an eight-week trial at London’s Southwark Crown Court.
One of the girls was a childhood friend of his daughter, whom he repeatedly assaulted from when she was 13.
The judge had previously warned Rolf Harris that he was facing jail.
Rolf Harris is due to be sentenced for assaulting four girls in the 1960s, 70s and 80s
The trial, which ended on Monday, had heard how Rolf Harris used his “status and position” to abuse his victims and that the former television presenter had a dark side to his personality.
The central allegation concerned Rolf Harris’s daughter’s friend, whom the court heard he had molested from the age of 13 until she was 19.
An Australian woman Tonya Lee – who has waived her legal right to anonymity – said he had abused her three times on one day while she was on a theatre group trip to the UK at the age of 15.
Six women also told the court about assaults Rolf Harris had carried out against them in Australia, New Zealand and Malta. He could not be prosecuted over these incidents in a British court but the evidence was introduced as an added illustration of his behavior.
Rolf Harris, from Bray, Berkshire, was first questioned in November 2012 in Scotland Yard’s Operation Yewtree investigation set up in the wake of revelations about abuse committed by BBC presenter Jimmy Savile.
Lawyers for Rolf Harris wrote to media organizations at the time warning them against naming the entertainer and threatening libel action.
When Rolf Harris was arrested again in March 2013 the police did not name him and the entertainer was not identified in the mainstream media until a few weeks later.
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Police in the UK is considering fresh allegations against entertainer Rolf Harris after he was convicted of assaulting four girls.
Rolf Harris, 84, was found guilty on June 30 of 12 counts of assault in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
Following the verdict, police said it would look at fresh allegations, which did not form part of his trial.
Dozens more of Rolf Harris’ alleged victims came forward during the trial, some from his native Australia.
Australian PM Tony Abbott said he was “gutted and dismayed” by the conviction of the Perth-born artist and entertainer.
Fresh allegations are considered against Rolf Harris after he was convicted of assaulting four girls
Prosecutors said Harris was a “Jekyll and Hyde” character who took advantage of his fame.
The judge said a custodial term would be “uppermost in the court’s mind” when sentence was delivered on Friday, but he wanted to see a medical report before passing sentence.
Six other women also told the court about assaults Rolf Harris had carried out against them. The entertainer was not prosecuted over those incidents but the evidence was introduced by the prosecution as an added illustration of his behavior.
Speaking after the entertainer was convicted, Detective Chief Inspector Mick Orchard, said: “I want to thank the women who came forward for their bravery, I hope today’s guilty verdict will give them closure and help them to begin to move on with their lives.
“Today’s case and verdict once again shows that we will always listen to, and investigate allegations regardless of the time frame or those involved.”
A police spokesman added the force had “received a number of allegations and these are now being considered”.
Rolf Harris was a mainstay of family entertainment in Britain and his native Australia for more than 50 years. He arrived in London in 1952, becoming a fixture on TV screens as a children’s entertainer and songwriter.
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A London court has found Rolf Harris guilty of assaulting four girls between 1968 and 1986.
The 84-year-old entertainer was convicted of 12 attacks.
Rolf Harris has been found guilty of assaulting four girls between 1968 and 1986
One of the victims was a childhood friend of Rolf Harris’ daughter, Bindi. Another was aged seven or eight.
During his seven-week trial, prosecutors portrayed Rolf Harris as a “Jekyll and Hyde” character, who had a dark side to his personality.
Rolf Harris will be sentenced on Friday.
Judge Justice Sweeney said a custodial term was “uppermost in the court’s mind”.
The Southwark Crown Court jury deliberated for 37 hours and 45 minutes before reaching their unanimous verdicts.
Rolf Harris has arrived at a London court, where he is due to stand trial on 12 counts of assault.
Rolf Harris, 84, was accompanied at Southwark Crown Court by his wife, Alwen Hughes, and a security team.
Rolf Harris has arrived at a London court, where he is due to stand trial on 12 counts of assault
He denies assaulting four girls, the youngest of whom was seven or eight and the oldest 19, between 1968 and 1986.
Jury selection was expected to begin on Tuesday, with the prosecution case set to open later in the week.
The entertainer entered not guilty pleas at a hearing in January.
Rolf Harris’ trial is expected to last for more than six weeks.
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Rolf Harris has appeared in court charged with nine counts of indecent assault.
During the brief hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, Rolf Harris, 83, spoke only to answer personal details.
Rolf Harris has appeared in court charged with nine counts of indecent assault
The TV presenter was bailed and his case was referred to Southwark Crown Court where he is due to appear on October 7.
Rolf Harris was first arrested in March by police investigating historical allegations of child abuse.
The British veteran entertainer was accompanied to court by his wife Alwen.
Six offences relate to the indecent assault of a girl aged 15-16 between 1980 and 1981 and three relate to a girl aged 14 in 1986.
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Rolf Harris has been replaced by Ben Fogle as host of Channel 5’s vet school series Animal Clinic.
Re-titled Ben Fogle’s Animal Clinic, the show will continue to follow the University of Liverpool’s vets at their three animal hospitals.
Extended from six to eight episodes, the series will air this autumn.
The news comes within days of Rolf Harris’s second arrest over additional offences as part of Operation Yewtree.
His arrests were not connected to the investigation into BBC presenter Jimmy Savile, and the presenter was bailed until August.
Rolf Harris has been replaced by Ben Fogle as host of Channel 5’s vet school series Animal Clinic
Rolf Harris presented BBC series Animal Hospital for a decade until 2004 before he was picked up by Channel 5 for its own animal series.
Rolf’s Animal Clinic performed well for the channel, with an audience averaging 1.6 million over its run.
The show was in a repeat run when he was publicly named as a Yewtree suspect in April.
The show was subsequently pulled from schedules and it was uncertain whether it would return.
“We are delighted to have Ben on board. His background and love of animals make him the natural choice to present the second series,” commissioning editor Ian Dunkley said.
Ben Fogle previously hosted BBC series Animal Park, set at Longleat Safari Park, for nine years.
His father is the veterinary surgeon and prolific pet care author, Bruce Fogle.
Among the cases covered on the new series include a Bearded Collie with a tumour-like mass on her heart, exotic species at Chester Zoo and the vets who act as emergency midwives during lambing season.
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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