Personal Injury Solicitors

Entertainer and painter Rolf Harris may be facing a flood of claims for compensation, after he was found guilty of 12 charges of indecent assault on young girls on Monday (30/06/14).

Correspondence between Mr Harris and his only daughter suggest that the entertainer has a fortune of around £11 million, which he intended to leave to his daughter to secure her future.

Compensation claims for historic indecent assault could mean that Mr Harris ends up paying out victims he assaulted, using the funds from the companies he set up to manage his wealth – the oldest of these is Rolf Harris Enterprises, which was launched in 1963, The Daily Mail reports. Part of his fortune also derives from his career as an artist.

Harris was found guilty on 12 counts of indecent assault by a jury at London’s Southwark Crown Court. The entertainer was found guilty of sexually assaulting four women aged from seven to 19 between 1968 and 1986, including a friend of his daughter who said that she was just 13 when Harris first assaulted her.

The 84-year-old entertainer has denied all the charges – but the judge at Southwark Crown Court has warned that a jail term is inevitable. Harris is due to be sentenced on Friday (04/07/14).

Child protection charity the NSPCC says that it has received 28 calls from 13 people who claim they were abused by the entertainer.

Harris’s victims included a seven-year-old who approached the entertainer to ask for his autograph, the court heard.

In court, Harris was given bail by Mr Justice Sweeney, who said:

“He will understand that in doing that, I'm giving no indication whatsoever as to the nature of the sentence.

“In reality, given the conviction on all 12 counts, it's inevitable that the type of sentence that is upper most in the court's mind is a custodial sentence and he must understand that.”

After the guilty verdict was read out in court, Detective Chief Inspector Mick Orchard from Scotland Yard said outside the court:

“Rolf Harris has habitually denied any wrongdoing, forcing his victims to recount their ordeal in public.

“He committed many offences in plain sight of people, as he thought his celebrity status placed him above the law.
“I want to thank the women who came forward for their bravery – I hope today's guilty verdict will give them closure and help them to begin to move on with their lives.”

As well as the four women whose allegations the trial centred on, a further six women came forward and alleged that the entertainer had also indecently assaulted them. However, the prosecution did not allow their testimonies to be heard in court.

The entertainer has not apologised to his victims.

Duncan Lewis Personal Injury Solicitors –Sexual & Physical Abuse Claims

Duncan Lewis is a leading firm of personal injury solicitors and offers a confidential and sensitive service to those wishing to make a no win no fee compensation claim for sexual and physical abuse.

Sexual & Physical Abuse Claims can be made under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme – but it is also possible to make a no win no fee compensation claim in the civil court once a conviction for sexual or physical abuse has been obtained by the court.

For expert legal advice on Sexual & Physical Abuse Claims – including historic cases of sexual abuse – contact Duncan Lewis personal injury solicitors in confidence on 020 7923 4020.