Rolf Harris has been found guilty of 12 counts of indecent assault.
The 84-year-old TV presenter was convicted of attacking four underage girls, including the friend of his daughter Bindi Nicholls, between 1968 and 1986 at Southwark Crown Court today (30.06.14).
Harris will be sentenced on Friday (04.07.14) and judge Mr. Justice Sweeney declared a custodial term was "uppermost in the court’s mind".
In a long-running and emotional seven-week trial, a jury heard how Harris had a "dark side" behind what the prosecution described as his "friendly and lovable exterior".
The ‘Animal Hospital’ star strenuously denied sexually assaulting a friend of his daughter’s as a teenager, but conceded he did have a relationship with the woman – now 40 – in her adult years.
The unidentified female accused Harris of abusing her from the age of 13 and claims the TV star performed a sex act on her at his home in Bray, Berkshire, and didn’t seem troubled by the fact Bindi was asleep nearby.
The claimant also described other instances of abuse by Harris, alleging he once fondled his penis in front of her. She described the Australian star’s anatomy as "small … very, very small".
Harris is also accused of inappropriately hugging and tickling the then-teenager and was branded "creepy" in court.
The woman said: "The way he hugged you and tickled you all over was cringey. I never liked it. Rolf would fold himself around you. He was a big man. He would fold you in his arms and tickle you up and down your body."
Quizzed why she never told Harris’ daughter Bindi or his wife Alwen Hughes about the attack, the claimant said: "I was shocked and panicked by it. I didn’t know what to do. I sat on the end of the bed in a state of shock, really."
Rolf Harris guilty of 12 indecent assaults
