Rolf Harris Formally Charged With Child Sex Offences

Veteran Australian entertainer Rolf Harris has been formally changed with sexual offences against under aged girls.

Metropolitan Police in London charged the legendary television, music and art star on Thursday, August 29.

Harris will face court on September 30 faced with six charges of indecent assault on a 15-year old girl between 1980 and 1981 and three counts of indecent assault of a 14-year old girl in 1986.

More charges relate to the making of indecent images of a child in 2012.

In April 2013 Harris was named as the “household name” being questioned by police in the Operation Yewtree clean-up.

The charges are sure to send ripples through the UK establishment. Harris has close ties with the Royal Family and painted a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in 2005. He also performed at the Queen’s Jubilee concert in 2012. The Queen awarded Harris the MBE in 1968, the OBE in 1977 and the CBE in 2006. The Queen also awarded him the title Office of the Order of Australia this year.

Rolf Harris was the face of the British Paints advertising campaigns for 50 years but was recently dropped by the company.

Harris was one of Australia’s first entertainers to have a hit song in Australia, the UK and USA. ‘Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport’ reached no 1 in Australia, 3 in the USA and 9 in the UK in 1960.

Harris also had a no. 1 hit in the UK in 1969 with ‘Two Little Boys’ and in 1993 reached no. 7 in the UK with a cover of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway To Heaven’.

Harris will face the London Magistrates Court on the charges on September 30.