In 2019, the Offender Database confirmed that Rolf Harris, then 88, of Maidenhead, Berkshire, sparked national outrage after he was pictured entering the grounds of a primary school to wave at children. The disgraced entertainer, who had been released from prison in 2017, was defended by some local neighbours who branded the convicted paedophile an “asset” to the community. These residents claimed that Rolf Harris was merely interested in wooden sculptures near the school’s boundary; however, his presence on school property, despite being on the Sex Offenders Register, was viewed as a significant breach of public trust.
The incident brought renewed scrutiny to the criminal history of Rolf Harris, who was initially sentenced in 2014 for a series of “predatory” attacks. Harris was found guilty of 12 counts of indecent assault against four female victims, including a girl aged just seven or eight and a friend of his daughter. During his trial at Southwark Crown Court, it was revealed that Rolf Harris had utilised his status as a beloved public figure to groom and silence his victims over several decades, leading to a total custodial sentence of five years and nine months.
Despite the defence from neighbours who cited the “charitable” past of Rolf Harris, the court had previously heard how his crimes left survivors with lifelong psychological scars. Harris served nearly three years of his sentence at HMP Stafford before his release on license. Following the 2019 school grounds incident, Thames Valley Police and the National Probation Service were urged to review the license conditions of Rolf Harris to ensure that the strict “exclusion zones” typically applied to high-profile sex offenders were being properly enforced in the Maidenhead, Berkshire area.
As a result of his convictions for multiple counts of indecent assault, Rolf Harris was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life. He was managed under the highest level of the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) until he died in 2023. These official monitoring protocols required Harris to report any changes in his circumstances and allowed police to restrict his access to areas frequented by children. The 2019 incident served as a stark reminder of the ongoing risk management required for offenders of his profile, even in their advanced years within the Berkshire community.
If you ever wondered how paedophiles get away with it for so long, it is because they all have enablers of some kind, like the Maidenhead Paedophile Supporters.
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