Rolf Harris has vowed to his loved ones that he will fight the new sex allegations made against him.
A source said the TV star was devastated after he was rearrested last week in the UK.
And it emerged last night that three women in Australia came forward to police with information.
The 83-year-old entertainer had first been arrested in March after a
woman from Britain claimed he abused her when she was a teenager.
Police in Australia yesterday confirmed their involvement in the new claims.
But a spokeswoman for the Australian Federal Police said: "As the AFP
is assisting the Met police, who are the lead in this investigation, it
would not be appropriate for us to comment further."
A source close to the star said the fresh claims had been "a massive
blow to Rolf", and added: "He fully denied the original allegation but
the fact that more people have come forward has come as a complete
shock.
"He completely denies all of the claims against him and will fight
them." Met detectives from Operation Yewtree flew to Australia in May to
question a woman named in reports as Lauren Martell, 43, of the
Wisemans Ferry district, north west of Sydney.
She did not claim to be the victim of any offence but told police she
was a witness. During the inquiries, it is understood two more women
came forward and gave statements to the British officers in the presence
of Australian detectives.
Scotland Yard did not name Harris after his re-arrest but said a man
was "further arrested on suspicion of sexual offences in connection with
further allegations". Aussie Harris, who lives in Bray, Berks, was
released on bail until this month.
Scotland Yard yesterday declined to comment on the developments.
Harris has continued to perform on stage despite the claims of historic
sex abuse. His wife, Alwen, 81, has said he is also painting to help him
cope with the stress.
Operation Yewtree was launched after Jimmy Savile was exposed as a
paedophile. The allegations against Harris are not connected with
Savile.
No comments:
Post a Comment
We welcome all points of view but do not publish malicious comments. We would love to hear from you if you want to e-mail us with tips, information or just chat e-mail talkingtous@hotmail.co.uk