Dear Ludwig,

I have expressed sympathy for the distress you have felt at Harris' fall from grace. It is for that reason I intend to go gently here.

Your 4 posts contain a lot of material so forgive me if I just address the first of your points about victim A.

If I had an 8 year old daughter a 39 year old man approached her in a shopping centre, lifted her dress and rubbed her vagina not once but twice, he would have placed his life at risk if I had been in the vicinity and if I hadn't I would have demanded he be dealt with by the full force of the law. I do know that would have been a traumatic episode for my child and would most certainly have dramatically raised their anxiety levels when around strangers. I would want the perpetrator assessed and given mandatory treatment before he was released back in to the public. What you are saying is that he should have been given a $300 fine be free to do the same thing to another child.

Well sir I think that is outrageous.

Ludwig, include me in the list of those condeming Harris for his actions.

I don't agree that groping the privates of anybody you have just met without clear adult consent is a trivial matter. In most cases that appears to have been what occured other than with his daughters friend. I'm not much of a fan of the idea of sentencing based on specific outcomes rather than actions other than within the context of norms and identifable risk. We will rarely know all of the circumstances that lead to long term outcomes. Harris actions in groping the girls were not generally socially acceptable nor legal at the time, he took a risk in groping them for which he now pays the penalty.

Agreed that as an adult the choices Bindi's friend made after the first assault occurred don't make a lot of sense. I get the impression that she was confused by the whole thing, flattered and repulsed at the same time. The thing to keep in mind is that when that started she was still a young child and Harris was a far older adult, the responsibility for those actions rests entirely with him. Her choices as a young adult would have been influenced by all that had gone before including grooming by Harris.

Some aspects are messy, attempts to mitigate blame from Harris on that basis fail on the simple basis that Harris was the adult involved. On a lesser note he also appears to have been the initiator of the events so its not even as though he was caught by surprise by someone elses choices and failed to respond appropriately or quickly enough.

Nothing said so far has indicated that any of the girls initiated sexual activity with Harris, even apart from the adult vs child aspect that puts the responsibility firmly withnHarris. Remember these were children being abused by an enormously popular and well liked celebrity.

R0bert

Ludwig,

"....those who don’t really care and don’t have any feeling for the detail of the situation and just go along with the media in thinking that Harris is a despicable pedophile, and those who have more interest and can see it in a broader perspective and think that Harris has been very badly done-by here, and that the sorts of things that he has done are really just as common as dishwater, and are very meek in the greater scheme of things."

So if I read this http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/sentencing-remarks-mr-j-sweeney-r-v-harris1.pdf (how's that for detail, eh?)...and come away thinking Harris is a despicable paedophile, according to you "I don't really care".

But if I read the judge's sentencing remarks and come to the conclusion Harris was (in your words) "very badly done by"...then I'm looking at in a broader perspective.

What kind of "broader perspective" excuses Harris's perverted conduct and allows someone to think he was "very badly done by"? He chose to do those things. He broke the law. How is it that he becomes the victim here...according to you?

....

Bec,

Does it occur to you that these young girls may have been rather startled that a major personality like Rolf touched them privately? Can you imagine what sort of confused thoughts would have coursed through their minds? He's not a nobody bus driver...he's famous lovable kindly guy-next-door Rolf. And many of his adult victims gave him short shrift, but took it no further because they were able to stop him before he had a chance to go further.

Come to think of it, Ludwig, I'm "astounded" that after reading the judge's remarks that you continue to attempt to mitigate Harris's culpability in his own crimes - and the seriousness of his conduct.

Just because others might be up to the same thing - or worse - is no reason to excuse his behaviour - especially resting on your line that he has been "very badly done by".

Justice has been served. Harris must have known that if his activities ever came in for scrutiny that he had further to fall than the average molester.

And still he did it.

He knew what he was doing and what he had to lose if it ever came to light.

How can you say he has fared badly?

Poiret, that is exactly why this situation stinks. People are more worried and upset about the situation because the perp is a "somebody rather than a "nobody". It shouldn't make any difference. Did it occur to you the shock you receive when someone you walk past every week day, have come to know and have even befriended for years touches you privately. Ever heard of stranger danger? Just because someones image and name is world wide doesn't mean you know them. My bus driver was literally the "lovable kindly guy-next-door" guy.
We condition our children to be in awe of people we don't even know. I feel extremely sorry for these young girls and lady's, and hope that they can get past this.

Bec,

If you had read the entirety of this thread, you would realise that "some" posters here are attempting to diminish Harris's culpability in his crimes by saying that he has been targeted because he's a "somebody".

Nothing about Haris's being brought to justice "stinks" at all.

He's a man who molested underage girls...full stop.

Btw....I've already related an "experience" here, so there's no need to wonder what I think about such an occurrence.

"We condition our children to be in awe of people we don't even know. ..."

That is no reason to excuse the fact that Harris elected to molest an 8 year-old waiting for an autograph. It's uncommonly perverted behaviour from anyone....and that's beside the rest of his crimes.