Rolf Harris, convicted sex offender and ex-entertainer, dies aged 93
Disgraced former TV presenter and entertainer Rolf Harris, who was jailed for using his fame to groom and assault young girls, has died aged 93.
News of the Australian-born TV presenter’s death was confirmed by a registrar at his local town hall in Maidenhead, Berkshire, where he lived.
Before his crimes came to light, Harris was a popular entertainer featuring on screens in the UK and Australia for decades.
However, he was eventually arrested in 2013 and jailed the following year following a high-profile trial.
He was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison after being found guilty of a series of indecent assaults on young girls that took place between 1968 and 1986.
While delivering Harris’s sentence in 2014, the judge, Mr Justice Sweeney, said: "Your reputation now lies in ruins, you have been stripped of your honours, but you have no one to blame but yourself."
The high-profile trial led to the downfall of Harris’s career and reputation.
Following his conviction, Harris was stripped of his varying honours including his CBE, OBE, MBE and BAFTA fellowship.
He served just three years of his prison sentence at Stafford Prison in Staffordshire and was released in 2017 — but never apologised to his victims.
After his release, the convicted paedophile returned to his home in Berkshire, which he shared with his wife, Alwen — who he married in 1958.
After news of Harris’s death broke, his family released a statement saying: "This is to confirm that Rolf Harris recently died peacefully surrounded by family and friends and has now been laid to rest.
"They ask that you respect their privacy. No further comment will be made."
If you've been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information from Rape Crisis England and Wales, who work towards the elimination of all forms of sexual violence and sexual misconduct, on their website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape Crisis Scotland’s helpline number is 08088 01 03 02.
Readers in the US are encouraged to contact RAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673.
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