Cop who quizzed Rolf Harris says more of his victims are yet to come forward
A detective who interrogated paedophile Rolf Harris says he is certain the disgraced TV star had many more victims were too scared to come forward.
Former Met Police officer Gary Pankhurst spoke out after the monster’s death at 93 was made public this week.
He grilled Harris as part of Operation Yewtree – which probed sex abuse allegations against celebrities in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal.
In 2014, Australian Harris got five years for 12 counts of indecent assault on four girls in the UK. But Mr Pankhurst, a former detective sergeant who also carried out inquiries in the star’s homeland, said: “I have no doubt there are many people that have stories to tell.
“When you look at Rolf with all the honours and awards and connections right to the top of society, that puts you in a protected position and it makes it difficult for people to come forward. It’s very difficult to take on somebody like that. Some of the information we collected in Australia was just as alarming as anything we found here.”
Man in 30s dies after being stabbed in park sparking police probe
Former Met Police officer Gary PankhurstMr Pankhurst interviewed the pervert several times. He said: “He never showed any emotion for what he’d done. There was no glimmer of remorse.”
And explaining how he thinks the presenter, musician and cartoonist got away with his crimes for so long, he said: “If you can create a kooky persona you can get away with things that fall outside of normal social conduct. If you’re weird all the time people think that’s normal and don’t look too closely.
“I think Harris built this persona that served him well as people felt comfortable and safe around him, yet the reality was of a very different individual.
“The Harris that sat in front of us in interview, the monosyllabic, very subdued individual, was another version of him people who knew him outside of the public eye were aware of.
“There was a real deep unpleasantness behind the eyes as soon as he wasn’t on performance mode.”
Harris, who served half his term, was stripped of his CBE and lived his final years with wife Alwen in Bray, Berks. He died of neck cancer on May 10 and was reportedly cremated in secret.
‘My £5k attack compo was a stitch-up’
One of Rolf Harris’s victims has blasted the £5,000 compensation she got after he was convicted.
She gave evidence at his 2014 trial, telling how the star befriended her during a holiday in Malta in 1970, then sexually abused her after luring her into a room on the promise of showing her his art.
Harris outside court during his trial (Getty Images)The woman, who cannot be named, told us: “I am still very angry about the whole system of compensation. They stitched me up something awful.
“If it was America it would have been millions, but here £5,000.”
Russian model killed after calling Putin a 'psychopath' was strangled by her ex
The woman, who was 18 at the time of the attack, added: “I’m glad he’s dead.”
She spoke after a lawyer for another victim said a new compensation bid could be launched against Harris’s estate.
John Rule, of Maurice Blackburn, said: “We will look at all legal options available to help our client achieve a measure of justice for the abuse she suffered.”
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
