Horrific footage shows convicted sex offender Rolf Harris joking with Jimmy Savile about leaving a young girl ‘safely’ in his ‘capable hands’, who himself was revealed to be a predatory monster after his death.
Harris went 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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Now, ITV has released a two-part documentary called Rolf Harris: Hiding In Plain Sight, which aims 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’.
Part of that footage shows Savile and Harris appearing together on Savile’s show Jim’ll Fix It, where a young girl had asked Savile to fulfil her wish of helping Harris with one of his paintings.
On the show, which came on air in the 1970s, Savile brought the girl over to Harris, asking him in front of the audience: “Come here, turn around, look at the ladies and gentlemen.
“You see this young lady sir?
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“She wishes that she could help you with one of your paintings.
“Do you think that I may leave her in your charge?”
Harris then responded: “Safely leave her in my capable hands here.
“I’ll just roll my sleeves up.”
The girl’s letter was read out on air beforehand, reading: “Dear Jimmy, I have always wanted to see Rolf Harris doing one of his paintings, please could you fix it for me. Love, Lynn.”
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The new documentary, which reportedly sees some of Harris’ victims waive their right to anonymity to give their side of the story, includes ‘exclusive new testimony’ and claims to ‘reveal the unseen evidence that led to his downfall.’
Savile never faced justice in court, dying in 2011 at the age of 84.
His prolific and horrifying child abuse was only revealed after the fact, but left the entire nation shocked and had wider implications for those within the industry afterwards.
Harris gave a statement to a book written by private investigator William Merritt, which was entitled ‘Rolf Harris: The Defence Team’s Special Investigator Reveals the Truth Behind the Trials’.
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He said: “I understand we live in the post truth era and know few will want to know what really happened during the three criminal trials I faced – it’s easier to condemn me and liken me to people like [Jimmy] Saville and [Gary] Glitter.
“I was convicted of offences I did not commit in my first trial.
“That is not just my view but the view of the Court of Appeal who overturned one of my convictions.
“I had already served the prison sentence by the time of the appeal.
“I changed my legal team after the first trial, and I was told that if the truth was out there, William [Merritt] would find it and he did.
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“The evidence he found proved my innocence to two subsequent juries.
“I’d be in prison serving a sentence for crimes I did not commit if it were not for William’s investigation.
“It is difficult to put into words the injustice that I feel.”
Rolf Harris: Hiding In Plain Sight will be broadcast on ITV on May 18.
Topics: UK News, Crime, TV and Film
Tom Wood