Rolf Harris arrested in "Operation Yew Tree"

Hi phoenix. I'd seen that it was him but was trying to ignore it. I find his arrest much more shocking than any of the others so far.

Apparently he was the un-named person arrested about November last year according to News,how many more are going to be investigated ?

I bet the queen's a bit surprised too.

Me too. Such a solid, dependable sort of figure. Apparently the allegations are of "historic" abuse, which I take to mean that the occurred a long time ago? Not that that is any excuse, of course.

I'm shocked too, was it his didgeridoo that got him into trouble I wonder?

Is nothing sacred, Rolf Harris arrested, world gone mad. Still we shouldn't judge until we know if he is guilty or not.

Years ago I heard rumours about Rolf Harris. He seemed to fade out of TV for a while, and then reappeared. I don't remember any details of the rumours now.

I don't think I would trust any celebrity entertainer in a room with no witnesses, whether it was with a child or an adult.

Its been doing the rounds online for ages, they said he had his date for appearing and his that cover would be blown then, and it goes on!!!!!!

Arrested but not charged as far as I understand.

And he's so good with animals...

Quite a surprise to read about RH. DD often bumps into him in her local Waitrose. Perhaps he'll be keeping a lower profile for a bit until the dust settles.

Yes anno , he did want someone to tie down a kangaroo.

Maybe I'm wrong, but with all these recent arrests IMHO the whole issue is rapidly becoming in danger of turning into some sort of a Salem witch hunt. I know as a society we should be vigilant towards protecting our young but I feel uncomfortable that generally these old, hard to prove sexual activity charges against famous men are suddenly increasing to epidemic proportions.

It seems to me that this dreadful business with Jimmy Savile has resulted in a media frenzy. Joan Bakewell was saying the other day that life was different in the 60s; some men did proposition women they worked with and in the days when the pill was new and AIDS unknown, there was a lot of promiscuous sleeping around. Celebrities who seduced young innocents weren't uncommon. Joan Collins was talking about the fact that the casting couch was a fact of life but she had always avoided it. And then there are cases like Savile, a known sexual predator who was too eminent to be challenged. Or the young man recently found guilty of raping an 11 year-old in a park. He had a previous conviction.

This is bringing about such interesting discussions. Many sex offenders are 'nice' blokes who know how to get on a level with people, are 'emotionally congruent' with children, and manage to invoke such utter disbelief that they would ever do anything untoward, which is why they get away with it for so long.

Men who have 'date raped' when they were in their teens and twenties are facing allegations now they are elderly, when women who have lived with the memory of those attacks see in the media that the likes of Savile have died and escaped prosecution. I have heard from ex-colleagues that the numbers of complaints are steadily rising, motivated by some confidence that victims can at last get justice or some degree of 'closure' (their words) for what happened to them so long ago.

I have liked Rolf Harris ever since I saw him in Animal Clinic. Always thought he was a talented artist, but gauche and a bit naff before that. If he has done anything wrong historically, perhaps he has since set out to try to be a better person. If he has harmed someone, he should face the consequences now, no matter how old he is.

I find it difficult to know what to think. Of course as Lily says, life was different and there is no doubt that girls threw themselves at celebrities and that some celebrities enjoyed it and made the most of it. Something happened to me at 18 with a sleb which was annoying and unwanted but I just shrugged it off. These days such things would end in court. I have some sympathy with Max Clifford's statement that they didn't ask for birth certificates.

On the other hand, if unwanted advances were made and a rebuff not accepted then those involved should be punished.

I spent some time in Stoke Mandeville hospital and DH said that JS had a Rolls Royce in the car park with blacked out windows and everyone knew what it was for. However, if it was with consulting adults then there is no case but if it was with young girls or boys that is a very different matter. I do have to say though that the hospital staff all said he was amazing and was a great comfort to young people who had been brought in after car accidents. One night while I was there a 14 year old girl came in with facial wounds and he sat with her until the theatre was ready to treat her. The staff said he gave up a lot of his time for such things.

The problem is how do you prove what was bad and what was good after such a long time?

I personally cannot believe this story

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h_TGe1N5v4

But the thing is they mention in here that he was interviewed before about this, but I can't understand why they would publish his name unless there was evidence.. but still I think they shouldn't release names until after they are found guilty or if they have enough evidence to take them to court in my opinion

Melilight The argument against keeping secret the names of those charged with sex offences and rape is that when the names are made public victims who previously were too timid to make a complaint might feel that they can now there is "safety in numbers" and they might be believed.

He was the only one named who I was truly shocked at. Such a national icon and loved by many. I was never shocked by J Saville, he used to often use a health farm near where I lived and I heard many tales of him 'seducing' girls who worked there - some only 16 or so. I have always thought of him as a dirty old man but not Rolf Harris. #shockedbeyondwords

Being named, being bailed doesn't mean he committed the crime he is accused of. Remember Chris Jeffries?

Yes, you're right Flickety.

Somebody I know talked about Chris Jeffries as if he'd already been found guilty. When I protested, he tried to justify it by saying someone in a TV interview had called Chris Jeffreis "weird", and, as if this was the final proof needed, that he'd got funny hair!

Oh No not Rolph Harris, please say it aint true!!!!!!!!

If he is charged with abuse, I truly will give up on the human race!!

Investigating allegations of sexual abuse is nothing whatsoever like the Salem Witch Trials. Nobody would suggest that the police did not pursue a murderer because the crime happened a long time ago. The victims want justice and closure.
I don't care how kind Savile appeared to be - many abusers present a kind and loving face to the world, it is the way they get access to the vulnerable victims.