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The Forum > Article Comments > Suspected but not charged: the Rolf Harris problem > Comments

Suspected but not charged: the Rolf Harris problem : Comments

By Binoy Kampmark, published 23/4/2013

The moment Rolf Harris' name made it to the press, his reputation was vaporised by speculation and condemnation.

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< Harris the entertainer is no more. Harris the condemned paedophile has arisen. >

With just about anyone else on the planet, this would be true. But with old Rolf? I doubt it. He has had such a wholesome image over many decades that it is surely going to take more than a bit of police or newspaper innuendo to condemn him in the eyes of the vast majority.

Damage has been done. But his reputation hasn’t been skittled…..yet.
Posted by Ludwig, Tuesday, 23 April 2013 7:57:37 AM
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I'm as shocked as anyone else by these allegations about Rolf.

However, I very much doubt that anyone would have even mentioned this possibility, if there weren't at least some truth to the story.

If there are proved crimes, then he should be punished just the same as anyone else.
No one is above the law.
Posted by Suseonline, Tuesday, 23 April 2013 9:23:06 AM
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Yes, we're all shocked.
Rolf Harris has been part of our lives for
so long. He's an iconic figure in our
entertainment world. And to be confronted with such
an accusation beggars belief.

The most crippling reality that Rolf Harris will
now have to face is being looked upon with
considerable suspicion, his profession derided
and finding himself the butt of nasty jokes.
Probably he has little hope of ever recovering
his reputation.

The sooner this matter is brought out in its
entirety - the better.
Posted by Lexi, Tuesday, 23 April 2013 9:53:53 AM
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Yes, yes, it is all very emotional, isn't it. Cuddly Rolf in the spotlight, and everyone making up their own mind whether he is evil personified or a mightily-wronged human being.

The facts are simple: the police are making enquiries, and as part of their duties they have arrested a suspect. If that suspect was Joe Soap from Carlingford, his name would have been instantly published. Instead, there was until recently a conspiracy of silence between the MSM mastheads, voluntarily suppressing the name on the basis that hey, he's such an icon. Until of course it became impossible to maintain the fiction of Mr X any longer. The Sun went public, and everyone else followed.

Back in the real world, everyone who has access to the internet has known of the events for many months...

http://order-order.com/2013/01/05/leveson-effect-can-you-see-what-it-is-yet/

I am not entirely sure from his article what particular point Mr Kampmark is trying to make. Surely, everyone is entitled to the presumption of innocence, even harmless old men whose only known crime to date is a penchant for playing the clown (I suffer from mild coulrophobia) and singing saccharine ditties. That applies to Joe Soap of Carlingford, as much as it does to Rolf Harris Esq.

It would be of far greater concern to me if the habit of suppressing names in the press on the basis of someone's fame or fortune, became the prevailing standard.
Posted by Pericles, Tuesday, 23 April 2013 10:12:32 AM
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...Parallels abound for the “ordinary man” in the Rolf Harris story. Call it the finger of scorn… Justice is uninvolved; no more than a tool for derision, guiding the wrecking-ball of innuendo!
Posted by diver dan, Tuesday, 23 April 2013 12:03:23 PM
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if Rolf is innocent and few know, I suppose he would feel a little like many Catholic Priests who have been completely demonised mainly by the usual culprits.
Posted by runner, Tuesday, 23 April 2013 12:49:04 PM
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He would have been the last person I'd have suspected but then, he is in the entrainment industry.
Posted by individual, Tuesday, 23 April 2013 3:50:32 PM
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I've no idea whether Rolf Harris is guilty of an offence(s) or not ? But now, it's all rather too late, isn't it ? He's been 'unveiled' as some sort of a sexual predator ? As such he'll wear that unproven imputation for the remainder of his life. His 80+ year character, will ever more, be discredited by rumour and ill-founded accusations. Yet another instance of 'trial by media' is all ?
Posted by o sung wu, Tuesday, 23 April 2013 5:35:12 PM
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I completely disagree, o sung wu.

>>But now, it's all rather too late, isn't it ? He's been 'unveiled' as some sort of a sexual predator?<<

Given that there has been no indication of what sort of charge might at some point be laid against him, why would you even bother to speculate that it is to do with sex? The category under which he was being examined was the vaguest of the three used by Operation Yewtree - "complaints against other people unconnected to the Savile investigations". For all we know, it might be a complaint by the Queen in retaliation for execrable "portrait" that made her look like a rabid jerbil on speed.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4541388.stm

Why don't we all have a cup of tea, a Bex and a good lie down. If there is any substance, I'm sure we will hear about it sooner or later. In the meantime, speculating about what "it" might be is all rather undignified, don't you think?
Posted by Pericles, Tuesday, 23 April 2013 6:20:42 PM
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Runner <"if Rolf is innocent and few know, I suppose he would feel a little like many Catholic Priests who have been completely demonised mainly by the usual culprits."

As dreadful as any child sexual abuse is Runner, it is always that little bit more disgusting when perpetrated by those who think they are ' God's servants on the Earth', and put themselves out there as morally above all the rest.

Pericles, it is a human trait to speculate, and I do believe that Operation Yewtree involves a British police enquiry into potential and actual sexual predators.

I agree that all arrests of this nature should be named, if for no other reason than keeping other potential victims away from them.
Posted by Suseonline, Tuesday, 23 April 2013 8:26:32 PM
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"I agree that all arrests of this nature should be named, if for no other reason than keeping other potential victims away from them."

And there's the balance bit. If cleared how does the previously named person ever really clear their name.

Even if completely innocent there will be those who assume that they got off on a technicality or due to lack of evidence. Others will avoid them because of the smell of that particular type of scandal, innocent or not.

As a society we need to find constructive ways of deal with the real abusers whilst doing everything possible to protect the innocent from harm resulting from false accusations. To far either way and we have an abusive system in itself.

R0bert
Posted by R0bert, Tuesday, 23 April 2013 8:51:50 PM
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Good evening PERICLES...

A rather different intellectual approach you've taken, claiming the matter that has arisen linking Harris with a sexual predator, (now deceased) might not be ?

Indeed perhaps he did insult HM, by secretly including a 'devil's image' in her hair arrangement, as did one enterprising Canadian Artist/Engraver, on a batch of Canadian Banknotes ? I wouldn't know, and neither would you PERICLES.

I know well, of a matter that I dealt with (as case officer) some years ago now, where a female was accused of inflicting serious injury upon an infant in her care. Without divulging specifics, it was alleged she'd occasioned physical harm to the child, because it wouldn't stop crying.

Her 'loving' neighbours gave vivid accounts, of 'witnessing' and hearing the female person shouting at the infant, in bouts of anger. Initially, I believed in the overall sufficiency and quality of the evidence at that time.

Further enquiries revealed, that most of her 'lovely' neighbours merely wanted them moved out, because they believed she and her extended family, didn't quite 'fit' into their ideal, of their select neighbourhood ?

Some six or eight weeks later, she did move, she electrocuted herself in her bath. A good result for her caring neighbours - and again, more evidence of the horrific emotional damage occasioned by 'Chinese whispers'.

There again PERICLES, the desire of most of us mere mortals, to possess a personality of a type where a cup of tea and a Bex is sufficient to ensure that we remain somewhat sequestered even inoculated from life's challengers and emotional torment ? That's indeed a rare gift, so value it while you still can, ol' boy
.
Posted by o sung wu, Tuesday, 23 April 2013 10:03:46 PM
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<< If cleared how does the previously named person ever really clear their name. Even if completely innocent there will be those who assume that they got off on a technicality or due to lack of evidence. Others will avoid them because of the smell of that particular type of scandal, innocent or not. >>

I can’t see that this is necessarily the case, R0bert.

I get the strong impression that the authorities really want to nab anyone who has done anything even remotely illegal as it concerns child pornography and the like, especially famous people.

So if they are cleared, it should mean complete vindication.

I think the opposite could well be true – if they are found guilty of anything, then they are likely to be completely shunned and condemned, regardless of what they actually did, which could have been very minor, all-considered.
Posted by Ludwig, Tuesday, 23 April 2013 10:38:26 PM
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Hi there LUDWIG...

You are spot on. It doesn't matter a fig, if an individual is cleared in a court of law. They need to be cleared absolutely in the court of public opinion !

As I've stated herein, now Harris has been ID'd as a 'person of interest', because of his fame...well you know very well what will happen ? The bloke is 'Branded' for life.
Posted by o sung wu, Tuesday, 23 April 2013 10:45:34 PM
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I do understand where you are coming from RObert, but it is a very fine line between the accused and the guilty, where possible child sexual abuse has occurred.

What if it is a primary school teacher accused of this crime?
Do we leave the teacher in the class until they are actually found guilty or not?
Do we risk the possibility that if the teacher IS that way inclined, that they mightn't reoffend in the interim?

I feel sorry for the few people that are falsely accused, but the children's protection must come first.
Posted by Suseonline, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 12:39:54 AM
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Suzie I think in the case of those who work closely with children (and without another adult present) that if there are credible allegations raised then there is probably a good case for changing that situation. Thats quite different to the naming and shaming approach of identifying them in the papers and on TV as a suspected paedophile.

Step back and imagine that you were falsely accused of deliberately mistreating patients at work, how would you like that handled?
Stood down without pay and your name and image in the media branded as an abuser of some sort?

Presumption of innocence is often a tricky issue. Getting the balance right between protecting against further harm if the accused is guilty and minimising the harm to innocent parties who are under suspicion.

R0bert
Posted by R0bert, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 6:20:09 AM
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Very good article, thanks very much. I read Frank Furedi's very good and interesting piece, which was also published here in the Dutch press. And I recently saw the Danish movie 'The Hunt' here in Amsterdam, I don't think it has been shown in Australian cinemas yet. Chilling, utterly chilling and for me the most disturbing movie since 'Snowtown'. It shows what can happen to the life of someone who is sentenced by the community before they have had the time and the chance to find out if the allegations of child abuse are true (which they clearly were not). It shows how much everybody wants to show they are 'on the good side', how much it boosts our ego and self-esteem if we throw abuse, be it verbally, be it physically, at the alleged 'criminal'. The world is full of creeps, the world is also full of people who are sentenced due to wrong allegations. Can we please have some rational thinking and wait for more information before we start jumping to conclusions?
Posted by KeesB, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 6:32:10 PM
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All true thoughts RObert and KeesB, but I guess if you are a 'celebrity' and are often in the media and the arts, then you are fair game for the press.

I think that the authorities, and indeed all those associated with that dreadful known sex predator Jimmy Saville, must feel great guilt now after all these years. All those young women and children who were molested by him and his cohorts must have felt powerless in that no one believed them at the time.

RObert, if I or any medical professional is even just mentioned as possibly involved in some sort of patient abuse, we are sent off the job faster than any other job I believe.

Certainly, if the press hears of anything like that in their area, they are quick to report it.
So I guess it can happen to anyone...

I don't know how else such a situation can be handled without at least temporarily standing them down though, do you?

And in the case of someone as famous as Rolf, who has access to hospitals, schools, theatres and any number of other public places in the course of his work, they may well have no choice but to make the allegations known publicly?
Posted by Suseonline, Wednesday, 24 April 2013 9:03:25 PM
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The words "child abuse" have not been formally raised in this matter.

The only leaked allegations I have seen suggest that he had a tendency to grope women in the BBC lift and the matter has nothing to do with the Saville saga.

Not an admirable notion of itself but why not leave all the pedophilia remarks until the charges are made public?
Posted by rache, Friday, 26 April 2013 11:39:00 AM
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Does anyone have a link that provides more
on the allegations against Harris?
What exactly is he suspected of having done?
Posted by Lexi, Sunday, 28 April 2013 10:38:35 AM
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Feminists in particular have long held that publicising the names of suspects in the media is essential, encouraging and facilitating other victims to come forward. They say that victims need the support of other victims in an environment where the law is said (by feminists) to be insensitive, obstructive and opposed to female victims.

Now for the hair-splitting where a favoured entertainer is concerned.

Not arguing one way or the other, just watching with a packet of popcorn.
Posted by onthebeach, Sunday, 28 April 2013 12:31:52 PM
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