Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Born in Australia · Nationalities Australian, British — television / music / art / historical sexual offences / criminal justice / honours

Rolf Harris

Film, television and entertainment Music

Documented profile covering 6 controversies, including “2017: Second trial — acquitted on three counts, jury unable to reach verdict on four others” and “2017: Retrial on four counts — second jury fails to reach verdict, CPS abandons further prosecution and Harris formally acquitted”.

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Profile No. 2079 · Updated on 12 October 2026

6Documented controversies

10Sources

1 followed by a conviction ·

§ Legal statuses reflect the documented sources as of the date shown; they replace neither court decisions nor the presumption of innocence. Counts are not a rating. Methodology

I. Documented controversies

Case · 2 documented stages

2017: Second trial — acquitted on three counts, jury unable to reach verdict on four others

Acquitted / conviction overturned

February 2017

2017: Second trial — acquitted on three counts, jury unable to reach verdict on four others

Acquitted / conviction overturned

In a new trial involving separate allegations, Harris was acquitted on three counts. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on four other counts.

Attribution: Accused
Course of the proceedings: Formally charged — Formal charge before the current outcome

Sources · 1

[1]
The GuardianRolf Harris cleared of three sexual assault offencesPressHigh reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

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May 2017

2017: Retrial on four counts — second jury fails to reach verdict, CPS abandons further prosecution and Harris formally acquitted

Acquitted / conviction overturned

The four counts on which the jury had failed to reach a verdict in February were retried. The second jury was again unable to reach a verdict. The CPS subsequently announced that it would not seek a third trial, and not-guilty verdicts were formally recorded.

Attribution: Accused
Course of the proceedings: Formally charged — Formal charge before the current outcome

Sources · 1

[1]
The GuardianRolf Harris sex abuse jury discharged after failing to reach verdictPressHigh reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

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November 2017

2017: Court of Appeal quashes one of 12 convictions from 2014 as unsafe but upholds remaining 11

Acquitted / conviction overturned — against a third party

Protagonist not prosecuted — these proceedings are not counted in their formal charges or convictions.

The Court of Appeal concluded that one of the twelve 2014 convictions was unsafe and quashed it. It rejected challenges to the remaining eleven convictions, which stayed in force.

State of the evidence: Documented
Role of the person profiled: Protagonist not prosecuted

Sources · 2

[1]
Judiciary of England and WalesR v Rolf Harris — Court of Appeal judgmentCourt decisionVery high reliability
[2]
The GuardianRolf Harris has one indecent assault conviction overturnedPressHigh reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

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Case · 3 documented stages

2014–2015: Honours and distinctions withdrawn following convictions

Conviction

2014–2015

2014–2015: Honours and distinctions withdrawn following convictions

Conviction

Following his conviction, Harris lost several distinctions: BAFTA revoked his honours, Australian local authorities withdrew titles, his Order of Australia was revoked and the Queen cancelled his CBE. Other cultural institutions also withdrew recognition.

State of the evidence: Documented
Attribution: Directly implicated

Sources · 3

[1]
BAFTAAwards & honours notice — Rolf HarrisOfficial documentVery high reliability
[2]
ABC News AustraliaRolf Harris stripped of AO by Governor-GeneralPressHigh reliability
[3]
ABC News AustraliaQueen strips Rolf Harris of CBEPressHigh reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

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June–July 2014

2014: Convicted of 12 indecent assaults against four victims and sentenced to five years and nine months in prison

Conviction

A jury at Southwark Crown Court found Rolf Harris guilty of twelve counts of indecent assault against four victims, including minors, for acts dating from the 1960s to the 1980s. He was sentenced to five years and nine months' imprisonment.

State of the evidence: Established by a court
Attribution: Accused

Sources · 2

[1]
The GuardianRolf Harris jailed for five years and nine monthsPressHigh reliability
[2]
Judiciary of England and WalesR v Harris — Court of Appeal judgmentCourt decisionVery high reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

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July 2014

2014: Attorney General reviews sentence but decides not to refer it as unduly lenient

Conviction

Following Harris's conviction, the Attorney General examined requests to refer the sentence to the Court of Appeal on the grounds that it was excessively lenient. The government ultimately decided not to make the referral.

State of the evidence: Documented
Attribution: Accused

Sources · 1

[1]
Attorney General's OfficeStatement from the Attorney General's Office on Rolf HarrisOfficial statementVery high reliability

Last verified: 14 September 2026

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II. Constellation of documented links

No documented link with another published profile for now.

Two profiles are linked when a documented controversy of one names the other. The link points to that controversy and its sources; it does not indicate a personal relationship.

III. Has something changed?

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