Rolf Harris could face the rest of his life in prison after being found Guilty on 12 counts of indecent assault dating from 1968 and into the 80s.
Harris will now face sentencing this Friday on the 12 charges, Judge Justice Sweeney will considered Harris’ health but told the veteran Australian entertainer that jail was “uppermost in the court’s mind”.
The Guilty verdict ends a remarkable career in tatters for one of the first Australian’s to score an international hit. ‘Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport’ reached no 1 in Australia and no 9 in the UK in 1960. A re-recording of the song with George Martin as producer reached no 3 in the USA in 1963.
Rolf Harris became the biggest Australian male star of the 60s worldwide with more hits ‘Sun Arise’ (no 3, UK, 1961) and ‘Two Little Boys (no 1 UK, 1969) as well as Australian chart hits ‘Six White Boomers’ (no 12, 1960), ‘The Court of King Caractacus’ (no 32, 1964) and ‘Jake The Peg’ (no 23, 1966.
In 1992 Kate Bush released ‘The Dreaming’ with Rolf Harris on Didgeridoo. In 1993 he had a n0 7 hit in the UK and Top 100 Australia with a cover of Led Zeppelin ‘Stairway To Heaven’.
The Guilty verdict now brings to question Harris’ royal honours. Rolf Harris is one of the most decorated Australian entertainers Ever. Queen Elizabeth II has awarded the entertainer the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) (1968), Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) (1977) and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) (1989). In 2012 Queen Elizabeth II upgraded Harris yet again to Officer (AO).
Rolf Harris was inducted in the ARIA Hall of Fame in Australia in 2008. ARIA stripped Harris of the award today.
Harris’ assault victims were all children aged from seven years old in 1968.
In court Rolf Harris was painted as a shallow, arrogant serial molester who’s celebrity placed him above the law.
The verdict ends a six-week trail and almost two weeks of deliberation by the jury. Harris will remain on bail until Friday when the sentencing is handed down.
