Australian entertainer arrested in Jimmy Savile case

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David
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Post by David »

And supposedly comic defamation is still defamation.
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Post by Culprit »

David wrote:And supposedly comic defamation is still defamation.
Unless I have read that posters have actually named him in their posts all this is inuendo and an assumption that the posters have referred to him. There is no case David.
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Post by stui magpie »

7 news tonight also reported that he "had been named" but stopped short of saying he had been arrested it by saying that he denied it.

Look, I'll totally reserve judgement until some facts present. insinuation doesn't equal charges or guilt.
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Post by sixpoints »

The name of this English based, 83 year old Australian entertainer is on the front page of today's Age.
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Post by stui magpie »

From today's Herald Sun.
THE Australian entertainer arrested on suspicion of alleged sexual offences has been named in the British press as Rolf Harris.

The 83-year-old legendary star has been under investigation by Scotland Yard since last November after a woman came forward and made historical sex abuse claims against him.

Harris, who has not been charged, reportedly strenuouosly denied the allegations but has declined to comment publicly. His management would also not return calls.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/rolf- ... 2i5ss.html

Couple of key points.

"A woman" means 1 claim not multiple.

The insinuation is that it is a single case involving an adult, not a child/children

He has not been charged with anything. At this stage there are no allegations to answer, just a complaint that Police are investigating.
Every dead body on Mt Everest was once a highly motivated person, so maybe just calm the **** down.
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Post by Culprit »

Trial by media is ok it seems when it's someone people hate. Be it a person someone people like and the excuses fly left, right and centre.
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Post by David »

Don't know if anyone is still following this, but it doesn't look good.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014 ... l-13-court

I don't really feel any shock about it being Rolf Harris; he was only really ever someone I was peripherally aware of. I just find it deeply saddening how individuals in a position of power can mistreat the vulnerable so easily. If the allegations are proven to be accurate, he will (and should) spend the rest of his life in jail.

If the prosecutor is right about his sexual preference, how much better if there had not been a culture of blindness about child abuse and sexual attraction to minors back then and if people like Harris had had access to preventative counselling long before finding himself in these situations. He might have been able to live some kind of ethical existence, and at least one girl's life would not have been damaged. As it is, any sentence the court hands down will be too little, too late.
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Post by think positive »

True, all of it.
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Post by Mugwump »

David wrote:Don't know if anyone is still following this, but it doesn't look good.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014 ... l-13-court

I don't really feel any shock about it being Rolf Harris; he was only really ever someone I was peripherally aware of. I just find it deeply saddening how individuals in a position of power can mistreat the vulnerable so easily. If the allegations are proven to be accurate, he will (and should) spend the rest of his life in jail.

If the prosecutor is right about his sexual preference, how much better if there had not been a culture of blindness about child abuse and sexual attraction to minors back then and if people like Harris had had access to preventative counselling long before finding himself in these situations. He might have been able to live some kind of ethical existence, and at least one girl's life would not have been damaged. As it is, any sentence the court hands down will be too little, too late.
It's pretty clear from the multiple depositions that Rolf was a serious lecher, but i think you have to be in court to make truly reliable judgements about the merits of a case. Whether Rolf is a paedophile or not, I truly pity people who have those feelings. I don't think our sexual orientations and motives are things we choose, and it must be horrible - just horrible - to have to manage that kind of intrinsically destructive desire. As you said, David, counselling and help for a sickness would be better than using jail as a first resort - though i can imagine victims feeling differently about it. If Rolf is found guilty, then restitution is required, but I can't believe that locking up an 84 year old man who is no longer a threat is a humane response. What is most shocking is the gross conflict between his beneficent, child-like persona and the private man.
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Post by David »

It's a fair point regarding jailing old people who committed crimes many years ago. Should justice have a time limit? Or perhaps the question should be framed differently: should there be some other way of dealing with cases where the defendant is no longer an imminent threat to the community? It's a tough topic and one I'd love to explore in greater depth.

Re: sexual orientations, I couldn't agree with you more. We have a long way to go in dealing with these issues humanely, but there are positive signs around to suggest that we're slowly getting on the right track.
"Every time we witness an injustice and do not act, we train our character to be passive in its presence." – Julian Assange
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Post by Mugwump »

David wrote:It's a fair point regarding jailing old people who committed crimes many years ago. Should justice have a time limit? Or perhaps the question should be framed differently: should there be some other way of dealing with cases where the defendant is no longer an imminent threat to the community? It's a tough topic and one I'd love to explore in greater depth.

Re: sexual orientations, I couldn't agree with you more. We have a long way to go in dealing with these issues humanely, but there are positive signs around to suggest that we're slowly getting on the right track.
It is complex - and it depends on the crime. Like most people, I'd happily hound the Dr Mengeles of the world to their death-bed, even though they were no threat at that point. So my principles are not very consistent, and I suspect my female friends might argue that it's 'cause i'm a man and I find it hard to personalise the alleged Harris crime sufficiently. It will be an interesting case, anyway.
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Post by think positive »

His victims would feel comfort with him in jail, that's good enough for me. And empty his bank account. His career that got the money got the kids, give the money to his victims for counciling. You don't want to put him in a normal jail, then make him work his days out in a home or something, his victims need closure, and the old bastard should not get away with it.
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Post by stui magpie »

Image

Related case, pointed cartoon.
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Post by boofa »

GUILTY.
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Post by David »

"Every time we witness an injustice and do not act, we train our character to be passive in its presence." – Julian Assange
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