It’s only recently that the public has learnt about the true extent of Rolf Harris’s crimes.
The former national treasure was jailed in 2014, as part of Operation YewTree, after being charged with 12 counts of indecent assault.
Now, a new documentary about the disgraced presenter alleges that Harris behaved inappropriately around those closest to him.
Dropping on ITVX today (18 May), Rolf Harris: Hiding in Plain Sight uses archival footage and new testimonies to tell ‘the extraordinary truth behind the rise and fall’ of the formerly beloved public figure.
Advert
Many of those who were interviewed in the two-part docuseries attended Harris’s trial or had worked with the Aussie TV personality – including Chris Brosnan.
Better known as ‘Bear’, Brosnan was a family friend who spent time at Harris’s home and even promoted the TV personality back in the nineties.
It was around this time though that he became increasingly concerned about the presenter’s obsession with young women and underage girls.
According to Brosnan, Harris made even an unsavoury joke about two 14-year-olds walking home from school with the star’s behaviour only escalating from there.
Advert
However, it wasn’t just him who was aware of Harris’s shadowy side.
Brosnan alleges that the TV personality would regularly behave inappropriately in front of his loved ones – including his wife, Alwen.
“When it came to women, it was impossible for Rolf to think about his wife and his daughter,” Brosnan explained.
Advert
He continued, recalling: “In front of Alwen, he’d take a woman’s hand, hold their hand and pull them in closer to them and then he would start kissing them all the way up their arm and he’d get up to their neck and then he'd be kissing their neck.”
He then said that it was like Harris was ‘pushing a boundary’, describing it as ‘habitual’.
Even the TV presenter’s daughter allegedly saw his darker side.
Advert
“I started to notice resentment from Bindi towards her dad,” Brosnan confessed.
"She said it was to do with his behaviour towards one of her friends, something that her friend had revealed to her.
"To tell you the truth, I didn’t want to expand on it, I didn’t want to say well ‘what do you mean?’ I knew what she meant.”
Brosnan confronted Harris about the incident, but the convicted sex offender had a chilling response.
Advert
“He said ‘Bear, we all make mistakes in life and I’ve made some pretty big mistakes. Let's just leave it there,” he said, revealing that the TV personality then walked away.
It’s a chilling sight into the public figure, who had been beloved by millions before his secret was uncovered.
Rolf Harris: Hiding In Plain Sight is available to stream now on ITVX.
Topics: True Crime, Crime, TV And Film, ITV, Celebrity, UK News
Katherine Sidnell