THERE has been a great deal about the crimes of Rolf Harris that is truly sickening.
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That the bloke many Australians regarded as being similar some sort of affable, but fairly daggy, distant relative, has turned out to be a paedophile and prolific offender has shocked many of us.
But, it turns out, it’s not such a shock to the many women in the media who were subjected to attacks by Harris.
How the heck was this allowed to happen?
While the details of some of his crimes were obviously not known, the fact that he was known as The Octopus in some circles means people knew he was, at the very least, not to be trusted around young women.
Of all the articles and opinion pieces I have heard about Harris, the one that scared me the most basically said “you ain’t seen nothing yet”.
Just how much more are we still to here about the rotten core of the entertainment industry?
Already here in Australia we have seen actor Robert Hughes jailed for his crime against young girls, while Britain has had an even bigger wake-up call.
In the wake of Operation Yewtree, a Scotland Yard investigation into the activities of the late Jimmy Savile, whose prolific and sickening crimes have been detailed at length, several high-profile men – including Harris – have been jailed after their own offences came light.
According to The Australian newspaper, celebrity agent Max Clifford was jailed for eight years for offences against four girls aged 15 to 19, with the judge remarking that if the offences had occurred after 2003, Clifford would have faced rape charges and a more severe sentence. Clifford’s wife divorced him, virtually on the steps of the court, as soon as he was convicted.
Then there is Stuart Hall, the presenter of It’s a Knockout and A Question of Sport. Originally an outspoken critic of the police for pursuing him, he later pleaded guilty to a host of sex offences against 15 girls, two of whom were the daughters of family friends, The Australian reported.
In the court of public opinion, there should be condemnation of every person who was in a position to do something about men like Harris, Savile and Clifford, but didn’t.
So many children have been left with a lifetime of emotional damage for television ratings in an industry known for the fickleness of fame.
It doesn’t come much more sickening than that.