Rolf Harris Sentenced – 5 years, 9 months

Introduction

Rolf Harris was convicted of 12 counts of indecent assault on 30th June 2014. Sentence was adjourned to the 4th July in order for a medical report to be obtained. We gave our guess as to what sentence he would receive here.

Prior to sentencing ‘Victim Impact Statements’ were read to the Court, where the victims set out how the abuse had, as the name suggests, impacted on them. There was then mitigation where the obvious factors in mitigation – Mr Harris age, good character and the fact that he is the carer for his ill wife, were put forward.

In the end, Mr Harris was sentenced to a total of 5 years and 9 months in prison. The full sentencing remarks can be read here and are, of course, vital reading in understanding the sentence.

 

Offences

Mr Harris was convicted of the offences as follows:

• Count 1: Indecent assault between 1/1/68 and 1/1/70 on a girl A, aged 7-8

Sentence : 9 months

Details :A was queuing for Mr Harris’s autograph. “When she reached the front of the queue, Harris “twice put his hand up her skirt between her legs and touched her vagina over her clothing“. She said she had initially thought it might have been an accident but then he touched her again.”

• Count 2: Indecent assault on a girl B, 14, between 1/1/75 and 1/1/76

Sentence : 6 months (consecutive)

Details:B was working as a waitress at a charity event when Mr Harris put his arm around her and down her back and over her bottom. “squeezing her left buttock a number of times“.

 

• Count 3: Indecent assault between 5/4/80 and 4/4/81 on girl C aged 15
• Count 4: Indecent assault between 5/4/80 and 4/4/81 on same girl, 15
• Count 5: Indecent assault between 5/4/80 and 4/4/81 on same girl, 15
• Count 6: Indecent assault between 5/4/80 and 4/4/81 on same girl, 15
• Count 7: Indecent assault between 1/1/84 and 1/1/85 on same girl, then aged 19
• Count 8: Indecent assault between 5/4/80 and 4/4/81 on same girl, 15
• Count 9: Indecent assault between 5/4/80 and 4/4/81 on same girl, 15

Details: C was a childhood friend of Mr Harris’s daughter and they lived close by. The offending started when she was aged 15. A summary of the offending is :

• 3 – digital penetration of C’s vagina by spitting on his finger and putting it under her jeans for a minute – 15 months consecutive 
• 4 – digital penetration of C’s vagina by spitting on his finger and putting it under her dungarees for a minute and a half – 15 months concurrent
• 5 – digital penetration of C’s vagina whilst C was staying with Mr Harris daughter (whilst she had left the room) – 15 months concurrent
• 6 – oral penetration of C’s vagina on the same occasion as Count 5 – 12 months concurrent
• 7 – digital penetration of C’s vagina whilst C was staying with Mr Harris daughter whilst she was asleep in the same room – 15 months consecutive
• 8- oral penetration of C’s vagina on the same occasion as Count 7 – 12 months concurrent
• 9 – digital penetration of C’s vagina whilst she was in Mr Harris swimming pool – 12 months consecutive

The news reports indicate that C was aged between 13 and 15 at the time of the offences. Some of this (seemingly the earlier parts) was behaviour that was alleged to have occurred outside of England and Wales, and so cannot be tried in this country. We don’t know if the jury accepted that evidence or not, and so Mr Harris should not be sentenced on the basis that the abuse started when C was 13.

The total sentence for offences relating to C is 42 months

• Count 10: Indecent assault on 31/5/86 on girl D, aged 14
• Count 11: Indecent assault on D on same day
• Count 12: Indecent assault on D on same day

Details:

• 10 – putting his hand on her thigh over tights and knickers whilst she was sitting on his lap in public – 9 months concurrent
• 11 – putting D in a ‘forceful bear hug‘ and putting his hand down her top into her bra and playing with her breasts for 30 seconds – 9 months concurrent
• 12 digital penetration – 12 months consecutive 

Sentence : Unclear

Note – D has been widely named as it is reported that she has waived her anonymity. There is (probably) no power for her to do this, at least without having a waiver for this blog, as so we won’t name her as this would be a criminal offence. Clearly, all the other news outlets don’t agree with that!

[Information courtesy of the Daily Mail and BBC].

 

Sentencing Powers & Approach to sentence

The maximum sentences on Count 1 is 5 years, for Counts 2-9 it is 2 years on each count. The maximum for Counts 10-12 is 10 years each. We have a factsheet on sentencing in historic sexual abuse cases. Also worth a read is this on sentencing for multiple offences. The rule nowadays is that you start with the sentence that would be passed had the offences been committed today, before making allowances (sometimes) for the maximum sentence at the time. For that reason, the first port of call is the Sentencing Guidelines for Sexual Offences 2014.

It is perhaps best to group the offences by victim :

• A – 6 months
• B – 9 months
• C – 42 months (3½ years)
• D – 12 months

Having seen the details of the sentencing, we would say that for offending today Mr Harris would receive as follows :

• A – 12 months
• B – 9 months
• C – 120 months (10 years)
• D – 24 months (2 years)

Totality would come into play of course, and we would have thought that the total sentence would have been about 11 years, so double the actual sentence. That is before some discount for his age, health and other circumstances.

 

 

What about the child pornography?

Eagle eyed readers of the news will remember that Mr Harris was at one point charged with four offences relating to indecent images of children. This then dropped off the radar, why was that?

The Guardian has a very good explanation of why these allegations did not feature in the trial. We may do a longer piece on the issues round this but, in brief, Mr Harris denied the allegations and there were various investigation ongoing to establish the ages of the people depicted (a difficult area). The Guardian reports that these would not be completed by the time of the trial and, for that reason, they were separated to be tried at a later date.

Presumably they were not referred to in the media before then as it was felt that they were unduly prejudicial to the main trial.

The prosecution decided that there was sufficient public interest in pursuing the indecent images and so they have been left to lie on the file.

 

Other Orders

• Mr Harris will be required to sign on to the Sex Offenders Register for the remainder of his life
• He will have to pay costs – that will be assessed later, but will be substantial
• The provisions of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act apply automatically
• There was no order for compensation

 

Conclusion

There will be an appeal – Mr Harris has nothing to lose. One thing about sentencing for historic offences is that nobody is satisfied. On the one hand it is lenient, in that it is around half of what he would get now. On the other hand, it is very severe, as it is probably about four times or so what he would have got had he been sentenced at the time.

 

Rolf Harris leaving his house by boat on the day of sentence – Independent

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Rolf Harris – What sentence will he get?

Photo from the Express

Introduction

On 30th June 2014 Rolf Harris, everyone’s favourite children’s TV entertainer of old, was convicted of 12 counts of Indecent Assault. Sentence was adjourned until Friday, 4th July.

What sort of a sentence will he get?

 

Offences

• Count 1: Indecent assault between 1/1/68 and 1/1/70 on a girl A, aged 7-8

Details :

A was queuing for Mr Harris’s autograph. “When she reached the front of the queue, Harris had touched her inappropriately with his “big hairy hands”, she told the jury. She said she had initially thought it might have been an accident but then he touched her again.”

 

• Count 2: Indecent assault on a girl B, 14, between 1/1/75 and 1/1/76

Details:B was working as a waitress at a charity event when Mr Harris put his arm around her and down her back and over her bottom.

 

• Count 3: Indecent assault between 5/4/80 and 4/4/81 on girl C aged 15
• Count 4: Indecent assault between 5/4/80 and 4/4/81 on same girl, 15
• Count 5: Indecent assault between 5/4/80 and 4/4/81 on same girl, 15
• Count 6: Indecent assault between 5/4/80 and 4/4/81 on same girl, 15
• Count 7: Indecent assault between 1/1/84 and 1/1/85 on same girl, then aged 19
• Count 8: Indecent assault between 5/4/80 and 4/4/81 on same girl, 15
• Count 9: Indecent assault between 5/4/80 and 4/4/81 on same girl, 15

Details:

C was a childhood friend of Mr Harris’s daughter. The news reports indicate that C was aged between 13 and 15 at the time of the offences. Some of this (seemingly the earlier parts) was behaviour that was alleged to have occurred outside of England and Wales, and so cannot be tried in this country. We don’t know if the jury accepted that evidence or not, and so Mr Harris should not be sentenced on the basis that the abuse started when C was 13.

We are told that “The court heard that the abuse began when she had been on holiday with the Harris family at the age of 13. Later, the woman said Harris had performed a sex act on her at the Harris family home, with Bindi [Mr Harris’s daughter] asleep in the same room.

Further assaults took place at the Harris home and in her bedroom at her own home while her parents were downstairs, she said”

The exact details are not clear, but it seems that the most serious is the ‘sex act’ (although it is not clear what that sex act is.

 

• Count 10: Indecent assault on 31/5/86 on girl D, aged 14
• Count 11: Indecent assault on D on same day
• Count 12: Indecent assault on D on same day

Details:

The allegation, as reported by the BBC, is that Mr Harris “asked her to sit on his lap before moving his hand up her leg and assaulting her. He was moving back and forth rubbing against me,” she said. “It was very subtle, it wasn’t big movements.”

The jury heard that Harris had then patted her on the thigh and moved his hand upwards. She said she had “started to panic” and rushed to the toilet. When she came out, she said, Harris was waiting for her and gave her “a big bear hug” before putting his hand down her top and then down her skirt.”

Note – D has been widely named as it is reported that she has waived her anonymity. There is (probably) no power for her to do this, at least without having a waiver for this blog, as so we won’t name her as this would be a criminal offence. Clearly, all the other news outlets don’t agree with that!

[Information courtesy of the Daily Mail and BBC]

Sentencing Powers

The maximum sentences for Count 1 is 5 years, for Counts 2-9 it is 2 years on each count. The maximum for Counts 10-12 is 10 years each.

 

Approach to Sentencing

We have a factsheet on sentencing in historic sexual abuse cases. Also worth a read is this on sentencing for multiple offences.

The rule nowadays is that you start with the sentence that would be passed had the offences been committed today, before making allowances (sometimes) for the maximum sentence at the time.

For that reason, the first port of call is the Sentencing Guidelines for Sexual Offences 2014.

 

So. What’s he going to get?

We think that the ‘sex act’ was digital penetration. Today, this would be charged as assault by penetration (s3 Sexual Offences Act 2003).

Count 1 would be Sexual Assault on a girl under 13 (s7 Sexual Offences Act 2003). The remaining offences would be Sexual Assaults (s3 Sexual Offences Act 2003).

The most serious offence is Assault by Penetration. This would be (page 14 Guidelines), probably a Category 2A Offence, giving a starting point of 8 years with a range of 5-13 years. Count 1, we would imagine, would be a Category 3A Offence, with a starting point of 1 year, with a range going up to 2 years.

The other offences differ in seriousness. Count 2 is probably 3B – giving a Community Order and Counts 10-12 are probably 3A, so 6 months or so.

The other offences on C are less clear, as the details are hazy. Of course, we have to remember that there is the assault by penetration.

On that basis, the sentence today for each complainant would be about :

A – 1 year

B – 9  years (8 years for the penetration, 1 year for the other offences)

C – Community Order

D –  6 months

It would not be right to roll all these sentences together. Stepping back, a sentence of about 9 years in total would appear to be about right. This would probably be achieved by shortening the sentence on B and making the other sentences consecutive (and giving a short custodial sentence for C).

But. But. The maximum sentence for the most serious offences is two years – how will the Judge square that circle?

On principle, there ought to be a reduction to take account of that. We would have thought that the appropriate sentence is about 2-3 years (before reduction for his age and good character). However, we got the sentence badly wrong in Max Clifford when we made the same approach, so who knows?

I would doubt the need to send him to prison, given his age and personal circumstances. We live in more draconian times however, and being a celebrity means his chance of getting a non-custodial is lesser. It would not surprise me if he were to get a sentence in the range of 4-5 years.

 

Conclusion

It is always difficult to predict a sentence, especially when you are relying on the newspaper to give the facts. That is before you even begin to consider that sentencing, as is often said (particularly by the Court of Appeal when dismissing an appeal against sentence) ‘is an art, not a science‘.

For that reason, this should be taken with a large pinch of salt. It’s not a definite guess, more a guideline to the parameters, and the approach that the Judge will likely take.

Rolf Harris Guilty of twelve counts of indecent assault

From the Huffington Post

Introduction

On 30th June 2014, Rolf Harris, 84, was convicted of 12 counts of indecent assault at Southwark Crown Court. 

Offences

Harris was charged with 12 counts of indecent assault (Sexual Offences Act 1956 s 14) 

The 12 charges were in relation to four different complainants occurring between 1968 and 1986. The complainants were aged between seven and 19.

We have a factsheet on historic sex offences.

Individual counts

Complainant 1 – C1

How many counts? Seven of the 12 counts related to this complainant

When were the offences alleged to have been committed? 1978 – 1985

How old was the complainant? 13 – 19 (although it was said that the complainant alleged she was abused by Harris up to age 29)

Who was she? A friend of Harris’ daughter. 

The alleged activity The Mirror reported: Harris approached the girl in her room after she came out of the shower wrapped only in a towel, then indecently assaulted her “on the pretext of a hug and tickle”.

Details During a family holiday to Hawaii in 1978, C1 was assaulted by Harris. He went on to touch C1 several more times during the holiday, including after they moved on to Australia for the trip. 

The Mirror reported: She said had just got out of the shower and was wrapped in only a towel when he came over and gave her a “cringey” hug.

She told the jury of six women and six men: “The way he hugged you and touched you all over, it was cringey.

“The way Rolf folded himself around you, he was a big man…he enfolded you in his arms and then touched you up and down over your body.

“He’d go ‘ooh’.”

He then sexually assaulted her before going back downstairs as if “nothing had happened”, the woman told the court.

C1 also said Harris twice led her away from a jetty where she had been sunbathing to abuse her down the side of the house.

However in cross examination Harris’ barrister questioned C1 about her diary,  particularly asking why there was no mention in her diary of the alleged abuse. The diary entry for that day commented “Today was great, we went on the beach and went swimming.”

Further assaults were said to have taken place in her own home during her teens and on one occasion when other people – including Harris’ wife – were present in the room. C1 developed a drinking problem at age 14 and would drink “shed loads of gin” when Harris visited her family home. C1 also alleged that Harris abused her when she was in bed next to Harris’ daughter Bindi. 

When C1 was 14, Harris followed her to her room, and said she “turned him on” before assaulting her.

After C1 turned 19 there were occasions when she consented to sexual encounters with Harris, which continued until she was 29.

On one occasion she performed a sex act on Harris on the M4 motorway in Harris’ red Mercedes when she was 22 in 1987.

C1 went to see Harris in Cinderella in Wimbledon in 1994.

She performed a sex act on him in his dressing room before the panto started.

She brought the abuse to an end when she was 29.

C1’s father wrote a letter to Harris after C1 told him of the abuse. Harris replied in 1997 admitting a sexual relationship, denying that it began when she was aged 13 and  he had been left feeling “sickened” to learn of the misery he had caused her.

Harris said he believed that “everything that had taken place had progressed from a feeling of love and friendship”, and there was “no rape, no physical forcing”.

Complainant 2 – C2

How many counts? 1

When were they committed? 1968

How old was the complainant? 7 or 8

Details When aged 8, C2 saw Harris at a community centre. in Portsmouth She went to get his autograph. He touched her indecently in an ‘intrusive’ way. 

The Mirror reported: C2 told jurors: “He was very very close, he was leaning into me.

“I thought he was warm, being accommodating to a small child.

“He was looking at me smiling and I smiled and was looking excited, then from out of nowhere I felt his hand go down my back and up between my legs.

“It was very quick, so quick that I thought to myself ‘what’s just happened’.”

The girl “could not process” what had happened and thought it may have been an accident but Harris then repeated the same move.

She said: “More or less instantly the hand was back. I don’t recall it on my back that time, but it was straight up between my legs quite aggressively and forcefully and it didn’t matter if it was going to hurt me or not.”

Complainant 3 – C3

How many counts? 1

When were they committed? 1975

How old was the complainant? 14

Details At an ‘It’s a Knockout’ event in Cambridge, C3 saw Harris playing with a dog. He said “oh look who’s here’ before fondling her.

The Mirror reported: C3 told the jury of six men and six women that Harris put his arm around her, and moved his hand up and down her back, before squeezing her bottom.

With her voice wavering, she said: “I can’t remember the exact words but he made some motion to me ‘ come up’, and I can see it in my mind’s eye as clear as if it was happening now. He came up and put his arm around my left shoulder.

“It was quite a firm hold. I just stood there. I couldn’t believe what was going on, this famous person putting his arm around me.

“To start it was a very nervous but a good feeling, however his hand then moved and his hand went up and down my back and his hand went over my bottom and it was very firm.”

Complainant 4 – C4

Anonymity – C4 had reportedly ‘waived’ her right to anonymity. Whilst there is provision for that under the relevant legislation, we will air on the side of caution and refer to her as C4.

How many counts? 3

When were they committed? ‘late 1980s’

How old was the complainant? 15

Details C4 met Harris whilst she was part of a theatre group in Australia. The group travelled to the UK in 1986 where they met Rolf and had dinner at a London pub where he told funny stories. He asked the girls to sit on his lap whilst he touched them inappropriately. C4 was in shock and went to the bathroom. When she left the bathroom Harris was waiting for her and groped her again. Harris stopped when someone walked by. 

The Mirror reported: C4 then aged 15, said she was invited to sit on the entertainer’s lap, and that his hand began to creep up her thigh.

She said: “I could feel that there was some movement happening beneath me. He was moving back and forth rubbing against me.”

The defence commented that C4’s decision to give press interviews about the alleged abuse demonstrated a desire to make money out of Harris. 

Other alleged victims

The court also heard from five other women who claimed to have been victims of Harris’ behaviour. As some of the behaviour was committed outside of the UK and before legislation enabled such offences to be tried in the UK, the evidence was adduced to attempt to demonstrate how Harris had a defined pattern of behaviour in relation to young women and girls. The jury were not asked to consider whether he was guilty of those allegations. The most notable allegation to feature in the papers was probably that Harris told an 11-year-old girl, “I want to be the first one to give you a tongue kiss,” as he lunged at her during a trip to Australia in 1969.

Jury questions

The media are always fascinated by these. Often they can give an inaccurate indication as to the stage or thought process of the jury and barristers tend to tell their clients not to take too much heart (or dismay) from a particular question asked by their jury.

The jury asked the Judge a question on Friday 20 June. The Guardian reported that they were sent home for the weekend early after asking the Judge what happens if they are unable to reach a unanimous verdict.

The Judge replied: “At the moment the only verdict on each count I can accept from you is one upon which you are all agreed.”

Sentencing

Maximum sentences

Sexual Offences Act 1956 s 14 – the law was amended over the years and the maximum sentence changes depending on when the offence was committed. The relevant periods are:

1 January 1957 – 31 December 1960: 2 years

1 January 1961 – 15 September 1985: 2 years or 5 years if victim under 13 and age stated on indictment

16 September 1985 onwards: 10 years

What does this mean for Rolf Harris?

C1 – max sentence on each count 2 years

C2 – max sentence 5 years provided the indictment specifies C2 was aged under 13

C3 – max sentence 2 years

C4 – max sentence on each count 10 years

How will the Judge approach the case?

The starting point for sentencing historic sexual offences is the new sexual offences guideline. We have a fact sheet on the sentencing of historic sexual offences which explains the way the Judge will approach the sentencing exercise. 

Additionally, as there are multiple counts to sentence for, our guide on totality and concurrent and consecutive sentences may be of interest.

He will be sentenced on Friday 4 July at 10am. He was bailed until then.