A ‘repulsive’ letter from Rolf Harris directed at his victims has been exposed in a new ITVX documentary, detailing how he felt he was the one who had faced 'injustice'.
Rolf Harris: Hiding in Plain Sight is a two-part documentary exploring the ‘rise and fall’ of the children’s entertainer, who sent to prison for five years and nine months back in 2014 after being found guilty on 12 charges of indecent assault by four victims - one of whom was a girl under 10 at the time.
One of those convictions was later overturned after being declared unsafe, and the 93-year-old was released from prison in May 2017, having served around three years of his sentence.
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Produced by Optomen Television, the new documentary is available to watch on ITVX from today (Thursday, 18 May), promising to tell ‘the extraordinary truth behind the rise and fall of former national treasure Rolf Harris using rare archive and exclusive testimony from those closest to the trial’.
A synopsis from ITV says: “Harris was loved and trusted as 'the nation’s favourite uncle' but behind closed doors he had been betraying his family and the British public that had grown up with him by sexually assaulting children and young women for years.
“Over a decade on from his arrest, Harris’ accusers including those who have waived their right to anonymity to tell the story of how they say his assaults impacted on them, and the pressures that finally forced them to come forward to testify against him in court.
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“With exclusive new testimony, the films tell the story of Harris’ 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.”
With Harris now back at home, and with new allegations of abuse surfacing in Australia, the series asks how the criminal justice system deals with historical cases of sexual abuse - and whether or not his accusers feel they’ve got justice.
We meet his former promoter Chris Brosnan, known as Bear, who reads out a letter Harris wrote while in prison.
He admitted he felt ‘shocked’ by the message when he read it for the first time, explaining how it detailed Harris’ ‘rage’ towards victims that have come forward.
Brosnan said: “He says, ‘Dear Bear, well, I’m finding it extraordinarily difficult to write, but at last the inner rage has come to the fore. I’ve started writing a song about all of the injustice and here’s how it goes…’”
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The lyrics then said: “Climb up out of the woodwork babe from 40 years ago.
“The climate’s great in Britain now for making lots of dough.
“You festered down there long enough, time’s right to grab your chance.”
The song ended with the line: “Clap eyes on rich celebrity and make the bastard dance.”
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Brosnan said he felt Harris was clearly trying to make out he was the ‘victim’ himself in the situation, adding: “For me, it was repulsive. It made me absolutely realise that there was no remorse.
“And in it, there’s also a tone of revenge.”
Watch Rolf Harris: Hiding in Plain Sight on ITVX.
Topics: Documentaries, TV and Film, Celebrity, Rolf Harris
Jess Hardiman