The paedophile Rolf Harris spent his final days living as a recluse – a million miles away from his former life as a TV star
Disgraced TV star Rolf Harris (Image: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire)
Paedophile TV presenter Rolf Harris made a final plea to his daughter Bindi before he died aged 93. Harris, once a household name for shows like Rolf’s Cartoon Club and Animal Hospital, was arrested in 2013 as part of Operation Yewtree.
He was found guilty of 12 indecent assaults on four teenage girls across a period ranging from 1968 to 1986, although one charge was later overturned. He was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison for his crimes, before being released in 2017.
Withdrawing from public life, the disgraced star battled severe illness in his expansive home, which he shared with his wife, Alwen, who recently died from a stroke at the age of 93. It was neck cancer and “frailty of old age” that led to Harris’ own death in May last year, reports the Mirror.Before he died, he implored his 58 year old daughter to care for her mother, telling her: “I always believed we would go on longer together but, if I go first, promise you’ll take good care of your mum.” Reports at the time indicated that his wife Alwen was receiving round-the-clock nursing care as she battled Alzheimer’s Disease.
In recent years, Alwen had been seen in a wheelchair and, according to a 2017 statement, her health was severely deteriorating. It is believed that she resided in the family home with carers attending to her until her passing. Alwen and Harris first crossed paths in the early 1950s while they were both studying at an art school in Kennington.
The couple exchanged vows at St Saviour’s Church in Paddington in 1958. Upon his charges, Judge Mr Justice Sweeney stated that Harris had exploited his celebrity status and exhibited “no remorse”.
