Rolf Harris

Exactly the same as you NanKate but I do wonder if his wife is ok.She doesn't look "quite with it" it to me.

To be fair to his wife, and other celebrities making court appearances, the photographers do call out a person's name, ask how they're doing, do you support your husband, etc then take pictures as she responds with a smile/grimace.

Alan Sugar once said that he never smiles in public because when a bad set of company figures are published the press would print a picture of the CEO with a big grin on his face.

I was talking with my son about his wife appearing to be smiling, and wonder whether this is deliberate to show confidence in his innocence, or related to her disability and she makes herself put a brave face on to cope? Some people put some strange expressions on their face to belie what's going on inside.

I would imagine being caught out has certainly taken the wind out of his sail!
The frail old man act doesn't wash with me. What a creep.

I have odd feelings about Rolf Harris. Now Jimmy Saville, Stuart Hall, they both made my flesh creep even as a child, and most certainly as an adult. They would have certainly failed the 'babysitter' test ( i.e. would you leave your child in the care of this person, even for a few minutes, even if the 'babysitter was a family friend?). But Rolf Harris? he didn't make my flesh creep and he is either a complete and utter monster for dragging his family along publicly, especially his daughter who was friends with the alleged victim, and for making the victim testify, or perhaps, he is innocent?

I have that same feeling GillT57 I just can't completely lose that feeling and will await the court verdict before I condemn the man.

I too will await the court verdict.
I have to say that I really don't want it to be true - and yet I have some understanding of the weight of evidence that is necessary for a case to be brought to court and the testimony so far tallies with what I've heard from many, many women who were abused in the way it's alleged the abuse was carried out by RH.
Oh dear!!

I totally agree with you GillT57 I quite liked Rolf when I was a child. Jake the Peg and Two little Boys were favourites of mine. Like ga I don't want it to be true but time will tell and the more I read about letters and postcards of apology the worse it is beginning to look.

Do I remember a rumour about him many years ago? He disappeared from British TV soon after that, and did not return for a long time.

I agree with gillybob but I still think that these men should be innocent until proven guilty. I feel sorry for the two Coronation Street characters whose names escape me because they will always have the "did he or didn't he" hanging over their heads although proven innocent.

Harris - the evidence is beginning to stack-up against him, but I do not know if conclusive proof of his guilt can be established, even though his written admissions must go a long way towards achieving that end. Certainly his conduct seems to have been fairly common knowledge amongst those who knew him. So why the 'not-guilty' pleas? If this man is found guilty I would throw the book at him. In the meantime we'll just wait and see...

I have said to my husband 'why is is wife grinning' . We wondered if perhaps she is in some way unwell.

His wife not is wife!

I never liked RH - I think it was the beard! I agree the evidence, especially the notes of apology, do seem to be stacking up against him, although he is adamant that whatever took place was when the girls were over the age of consent.

Even if the affair started when the girl was 18, he was still cheating on his wife.

I always used to think that Rolf Harris was one of the good guys.

Out of all the men accused so far, Rolf Harris is the one who I would never in a million years have suspected of these sort of crimes. I will, however, await the verdict, but will continue to hope that he is proved innocent, but beyond any doubt, not just because of insufficient evidence.

Yes I remember something too Elegran.

I have a feeling that there were boys involved, but it was a long time ago.

I have been shocked by this, having been quite a fan. I had hoped it wasn't true, but the notes of apology indicate he was guilty.
He disappeared from public view for a few years, as you say. In interviews since he says he had a breakdown and depression, which I believed as entertainers do tend to burn out.

I wonder how many entertainers are remotely like their public persona? After all it's called show business. They are putting on a show. Cynical I know but I have used this saying on GN before 'believe none of what you hear and half of what you see'. Of course this cynicism has come with age. I have done my share of idolising pop stars and famous people in my time.

Having been a huge fan of RH for many years, I simply didn't want to
believe that he could do these dreadful things..... it's a big shock, -
almost as bad as when I found out that Rock Hudson was gay. (not that I have anything against being gay, but Rock Hudson!!!).
I'm still hoping that it's all a big mistake and that Rolf is innocent.
But it's looking dubious now, sadly.
It's so disillusioning when people we put on pedestals fall off them.

Once people have built up in their own minds an image of what a person is like, they, no doubt subconsciously, are resistant to anything that challenges that image, so I'm not sure "gut feeling" is a reliable indicator.

Parents often say how much they trusted and liked a person who is later found to have sexually assaulted their children, and quite often these people are very good at presenting themselves as being affable and trustworthy.

That's not to say that I'm pre-judging this case or any other case but it worries me a bit that people might unknowingly let their pre-conceived notions of what a person is like affect the manner in which they weigh the evidence.

It doesn't mean he was all bad. Just that he had this terrible weakness in his nature.
Common in many people (mostly men) not just celebrities.