Rolf Harris is dead. He is no saint and should not be talked about like he was. Once, a celebrated entertainer who was the face of British Paints and had painted a portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II for her 80th birthday had a deep dark secret. He liked young girls, fantasised about them, and even did the unthinkable. His wife of decades remained at his side to back him up, but the proof was against him as women came forward to proclaim they had been his victims when they were young.
Since his death, people have forward with skin-crawling stories about Rolf. One such example is Australian media commentator Melissa Hoyer, who wrote on Twitter:
Even Harris’s music manager, Chris Brosnan, came forward with a letter Rolf wrote when he was in prison where he called his victims “worms” for even speaking out. In other words, he was so paranoid that he believed they were after his millions of dollars.
Here’s the thing. Don’t hide behind a persona. Unfortunately, plenty of narcissistic, less troublesome people do this. Elizabeth Holmes. Harvey Weinstein. Any person who killed their spouse attempted to cover up the crime by crying to the media and begging their partner to come home. This is also not an implication that any of the more innocent people we named are in on this type of behaviour, far from it.
Rolf was a pedophile who saw innocent girls as sex toys. Even Brosnan said that he was shocked when the predator uttered what he wanted to do to the girls while they were in the car together. Chris once idolised Harris as a pseudo-father figure.
Chris had every right to speak out. He even called Rolf out when he commented on the car. Brosnan seems like a straight-talking guy who knows right from wrong. The million-dollar question is how Rolf’s wife and daughter can stand by him.
One would think that having a wife and daughter would make Rolf think twice about sexually abusing young girls. But, instead, like Chris, they were mesmerised by his charisma. It is a sad reality for a family who cannot see the truth about the man who was their patriarch and once a national icon. It’s no wonder that he remained in the UK.
Reporting on cases like this is a challenging feat. Especially when it’s a high-profile person. Harvey Weinstein is a perfect example, as the story was in the press for weeks after it broke, courtesy of Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey of the New York Times.
Weinstein’s victims came out of the woodwork so fast that the disgraced media mogul had nowhere to go. His wife, the fashion designer Georgina Chapman, split from him quicker than he could explain himself. This shows that not women are blinded by their husbands whenever they commit an inexcusable offence. Unfortunately, this is what Harvey underestimated, and so did Rolf. These men are misogynistic and have no regard for the women who must live with the trauma they were put through.
Rolf had a duty of care to all the girls he was in contact with, and abusing that power was disgraceful. His twisted and deprived mind and thought process makes it all the more disturbing. Also, he fooled many people into believing he was genuinely friendly, including Her Majesty The Queen. Thankfully, he wasn’t eligible for a knighthood as he wasn’t born in the United Kingdom.
A Queensland journalist named Madonna King spoke in a piece for InQueensland about her first interview with Harris as a young paid journalist. She said he was patronising towards her. Also, this was some 30 years before it came out what a piece of work he was. Case in point, he doesn’t deserve sympathy. He hurt many people, and his victims are still suffering today from PTSD.
As someone who believes in speaking out against toxicity, I want to highlight how society seems to forgive toxic individuals when they die. That’s like forgiving John Wayne for being racist. Yes, Rolf was a charismatic figure who knew how to draw people into his web, but he gave thought to those he harmed. Now, think about if he hurt some close to you. You would be screaming bloody murder.
