A two-part series about Australian TV star and convicted sex offender Rolf Harris is to air on ITVX.
It will look at how the presenter, now 93, became one of the UK's most loved entertainers - but fell from grace after his vile crimes were uncovered. He had been sexually assaulting children and young women for four decades and was eventually jailed in 2014.
The new series will feature rare archive footage and testimony from those closest to the trial. Some of his accusers, who have waived their right to anonymity, will tell their stories and of the pressures that finally forced them to testify against him in court.
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The two films will also tell the story of Rolf's decades-long grooming of his daughter Bindi’s childhood friend from the age of 13, and reveal the unseen evidence that led to his downfall.
In one clip released by ITV, Rolf's former promoter Chris Brsonan, known as Bear, recalls Rolf making lewd comments about underage girls. He said the incident left him 'shocked and furious'. While Chris was driving him from the BBC, two schoolgirls in uniform were walking along.
Chris says: "Rolf out of the blue just says, 'Jesus, couldn't you just f*** the pair of them?'" He added: "It was shocking to hear him say it. And I, and I looked at him, I said,: 'What?' And he said: 'Well, just look at 'em. Aren't they just f***ing lovely?'"
Rolf was a household name by the 1960s, known for his musical endeavours including the song Tie Me Kangaroo Down. He also regularly appeared on the BBC, fronting programmes Animal Hospital and Rolf’s Cartoon Club.
But following his arrest in 2014 and during his eight-week trial at Southwark Crown Court, his dark past was unveiled. Rolf was convicted of 12 sex attacks on girls as young as seven over a 40-year period, and was handed a jail sentence of five years and nine months.
Police had begun to investigate Rolf in the wake of the scandal surrounding Jimmy Saville, a children’s TV presenter who was discovered to be a predatory paedophile after his death.
The cops discovered that Rolf had abused his daughter's friend when she was only 13 years old. His other victims included an eight-year-old seeking an autograph and two girls in their early teens.
Rolf Harris: Hiding In Plain Sight is available to stream on ITVX from Thursday May 18.
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