Rolf Harris claim not about money, woman claims
Rolf Harris will attemt to appeal his indecent assault convictions. Photo: AAP
A woman has told a London court that making a groping claim against Rolf Harris was the hardest thing she had ever done but it was never about compensation, only about “vindication and justice”.
The woman said on Monday that Harris came up to her at the BBC Television Centre in 1983 when she was 13, put his hand under her breast and said “Do you often get molested on a Saturday morning?”
The 87-year-old entertainer is facing a jury trial at Southwark Crown Court on four indecent assault charges involving three complainants.
Harris, wearing a dark suit and tie, sat quietly in a glass booth in the courtroom listening to the woman’s evidence with the help of court earphones.
Under questioning by defence lawyer, Stephen Vullo, the woman, now aged in her late 40s, denied being interested in seeking compensation from Harris over her groping claim.
She told the court that when she informed her older sister and her parents what Harris had done they had not believed her.
She said that after not being believed by her family and other people for nearly 30 years it was very hard to take a complaint to police.
“It’s been probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
The woman said going through the police investigation and court process had been “awful”.
When questioned by prosecuting lawyer Jonathan Rees she said she had not sought compensation in the case and did not intend to.
“I can’t understand how anyone would want to profit from something like this?
“All I want is finally, vindication and justice for people this has happened to over the years.”
The woman said that earlier in the day in question Harris had sat with her and other children visiting the television centre and drawn pictures with them.
She said she was very into art so Harris was one of her idols at the time.
The woman admitted that after the incident she had put Harris’ autograph in her autograph book but she said she was confused after her family’s reaction to her complaint, though she knew he had done something wrong.
The woman’s older sister also gave evidence on Monday, telling the court that Harris had been “quite cuddly” with her younger sibling.
She said her sister had called Harris a “perv” but at the time she found that “very difficult to believe”.
The trial continues.
– AAP