Convicted paedophile Rolf Harris cared less about his victims, and more about his reputation, a detective claimed after his arrest.
The uncomfortable revelations are made in the upcoming ITVX documentary Rolf Harris: Hiding in Plain Sight.
The two-part series tells the sinister truth behind the rise and fall of the former national treasure. It uses rare archive and exclusive testimony from those closest to the trial.
This includes a chilling account of how Rolf Harris abused his daughter Bindi’s best friend for several years.
Rolf Harris ‘only cared’ about his reputation
The Australian convicted paedophile is described as “massively arrogant” in the new documentary.
After his arrest, one detective spoke about his demeanour in police interviews. He said: “To me, Rolf Harris came across as massively arrogant.
“The biggest concern he had wasn’t the actual nature of the allegation but it becoming public. And the damage it would do to his credibility.
“He had been maybe convinced by himself or other people around him that this could very quickly just go away.”
Of course, TV viewers will know that Rolf Harris was loved and trusted as ‘the nation’s favourite uncle’ during the 60s, 70s and 80s.
But behind closed doors, he had been betraying his family and the British public that had grown up with him. The entertainer had abused his power by sexually assaulting children and young women for years.
However, after ITV’s 2012 documentary The Other Side of Jimmy Savile, a raft of allegations were made against public figures during Operation Yewtree, including against Rolf Harris.
Rolf Harris and Jimmy Savile were friendly, and new footage in the documentary shows Rolf telling Jimmy to leave a young girl in his “capable” hands.
Hiding in Plain Sight on ITVX
Over a decade on from his arrest, Rolf Harris’ accusers waive their right to anonymity to tell the story of how their encounters with him impacted on their lives.
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 reveals the unseen evidence that led to his downfall.
The first episode details just how famous the children’s entertainer was from the 1960s onwards – a Saturday night household name.
Former BBC chairman Lord Grade says: “In those days, you didn’t get a primetime Saturday night slot on BBC One unless you were able to draw millions and millions of people, and Rolf was an absolute sensation.
“He was a big asset for the BBC… Because the audience very quickly trusted him, they knew that if they committed an hour to watch Rolf Harris, they were going to be entertained.”
But behind the scenes, Rolf Harris was abusing that trust.
While the women and girls he assaulted felt they couldn’t speak out, his fame only grew. He presented shows watched by millions from the 1960s to the 2000s.
Rolf Harris reputation: Did he ever admit his guilt?
In the 1990s, Rolf Harris achieved chart success and huge acclaim with his cover versions of classic rock songs.
One member of his band, Chris Brosnan, known to Harris as Bear, became his promoter and started working from his house.
In the new documentary, Chris reveals he became aware of rumours of an inappropriate relationship between Rolf Harris and a close friend of his daughter Bindi. He heard that it had caused a rift in the family.
He explains: “I actually took it up with Rolf. And, you know, he looked at me and cut me off. He said, ‘Bear, we’ve all made mistakes in life, and I’ve made some pretty big mistakes, and let’s just leave it there.'”
However, Rolf Harris denied all charges against him during his very public trial. A jury eventually found him guilty of 12 indecent assaults, on four underage girls. These included one on an eight-year-old autograph hunter, two on girls in their early teens, and a catalogue of abuse against his daughter’s friend over 16 years.
The offences took place between 1968 and 1986.
Rolf Harris: Hiding in Plain Sight streams on ITVX from Thursday, May 18, 2023.
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