Australian musician, songwriter, entertainer, and BBC television presenter Rolf Harris has reportedly been arrested and questioned under caution by police over historical allegations of sexual offences, a charge that Harris is vehemently denying.
The 83-year-old entertainer and artist was interviewed under caution at south London police premises in November last year. In March Mr Harris was arrested and bailed until May.
Held as part of Operation Yewtree, set-up following the 2011 death of Jimmy Savile, when hundreds of sex abuse allegations came to light, Harris' arrest is unrelated to the former BBC DJ and TV presenter.
The Metropolitan Police did not name Mr Harris after he was quizzed, or following his arrest, and have still not formally identified him - The Sun newspaper revealed Mr Harris was the man in question earlier this morning. Scotland Yard said in March:
'An 82-year-old man from Berkshire was arrested by officers on Operation Yewtree on suspicion of sexual offences He has been bailed to a date in May pending further inquiries. The individual falls under the strand of the investigation we have termed 'others'.'
Operation Yewtree has three strands. One is looking specifically at the actions of Savile himself. The second strand concerns allegations against 'Savile and others'. The third strand relates to complaints against other people unconnected to the Savile investigations, made by people who came forward after the scandal came to light.
The news that Rolf Harris has been questioned and arrested will come as a massive shock to the nation, as Harris is a treasured member of BBC television history and a legendary personality. Mr Harris would not be the first to have his reputation marred by the scandal, which has already seen Freddie Starr, Dave Lee Travis and (less surprisingly) Gary Glitter probed.
Mr Harris, one of a total of 12 people arrested as part of Operation Yewtree, is yet to make any public comment.
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
We don't run any advertising! Our editorial content is solely funded by lovely people like yourself using Stereoboard's listings when buying tickets for live events. To keep supporting us, next time you're looking for concert, festival, sport or theatre tickets, please search for "Stereoboard". It costs you nothing, you may find a better price than the usual outlets, and save yourself from waiting in an endless queue on Friday mornings as we list ALL available sellers!
