- Here is a full timeline of how Rolf Harris was caught for his hideous sex crimes
A documentary exploring the life and crimes of Rolf Harris will be shown on ITV on the evening of Tuesday, October 31.
Rolf Harris: Hiding In Plain Sight first aired in May 2023, but will be broadcast on the night of Halloween.
But how exactly was Rolf Harris caught? When was he convicted of numerous child sex offences?
Read on below for all you need to know about Rolf Harris was caught for his despicable crimes.
After making fame as a comedian and entertainer, Harris was charged with nine counts of indecent assault in 2013
How was Rolf Harris caught?
In March 2013, Rolf Harris was one of 12 people arrested for questioning regarding historical allegations of sex offences in the British police investigation into sexual abuse allegations known as Operation Yewtree.
Following his arrest, Harris appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court on 24 September 2013, where he was charged with nine counts of indecent assault and four counts of making indecent images of children.
Harris pleaded not guilty to these charges and was bailed.
Three months later, in December 2013, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed that Harris was facing three further counts of sexual assault.
The CPS said that the new charges were of alleged assault against females aged nineteen in 1984, aged seven or eight in 1968 or 1969, and aged fourteen in 1975.
Once again, Harris pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The allegations were not linked to the offences committed by Jimmy Savile – whose crimes were explored in the BBC show The Reckoning – with Harris maintaining his innocence at the time.
He was subsequently bailed without charge.
However, in August 2013, he was arrested again as part of the operation, and was found guilty of nine counts of indecent assault during the 1980s.
The ITV documentary, entitled Rolf Harris: Hiding In Plain Sight examines the rise and fall of the Australian. Pictured: a police mugshot of Harris
Harris underwent trial at Southwark Crown Court, on 6 May 2014. Seven of the twelve charges involved allegations of a sexual relationship between Harris and one of his daughter’s friends.
Harris denied the allegations, claiming that he had not entered into a sexual relationship with the girl until she was 18, which saw one of his original convictions overturned.
Following a lengthy trial at Southwark Crown Court in 2014, Harris was convicted of 11 counts for the indecent assault of three women and sentenced to five years in prison.
After serving nearly three years of his five year sentence, Harris was released on licence in 2017.
Having lived a reclusive existence following his release from prison, Harris died of neck cancer at the age of 93 in May 2023, just days after the ITV documentary originally aired.
Sophie Anderson, a UK-based writer, is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
