Fresh accusation against Rolf Harris from top TV presenter
One of Britain’s top TV presenters has come forward to allege the late disgraced Rolf Harris groped her at the beginning of her career.
World
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Former British weather presenter Ulrika Jonsson has told how late disgraced entertainer Rolf Harris groped her when she was launching her career in her early 20s.
The former British national treasure Harris, who died on May 10, was a family favourite for decades before being convicted of numerous indecent assaults in June 2014.
Ms Jonsson, 55, said the incident occurred on a day when Harris was the showbiz guest on the former ITV breakfast program TV-am, when she was working as a weather presenter.
“The studios were laid out such that it was impossible not to bump into guests during the live show,” she said.
“I felt quite enamoured to be introduced to him. This was Rolf Harris, for goodness’ sake.
“I reached out my hand and he chose instead to embrace me.
“I remember thinking that was either really flattering or a bit forward. Either way, it was confusing.
“Then his hand travelled down to my bum, gave it a few squeezes and stayed there for what felt like years but was probably only 30 seconds.
“But it was long enough for my 21-year-old self to feel deeply uncomfortable, and speechless.
“I know I won’t have been the only one who fell victim to his hands.”
The TV presenter said people “didn’t pipe up or call anyone out” at this time around 35 years ago.
“We may have come a long way in making that kind of behaviour unacceptable but we still have miles to travel”, she told The Sun newspaper.
Her comments come in the wake of presenter Vanessa Feltz who also said she was assaulted by the Australian born former TV star when she was presenting Channel 4’s morning talk show The Big Breakfast which aired from 1992 to 2002.
Recalling the incident on This Morning on Wednesday, Feltz said “she could hear” her dress being “scrunched up” by Harris while she was the on-the-bed interviewer.
She added: “For all I knew I was the only person that had ever happened to, I didn’t know … Nobody had ever said a bad word about him in front of me.”
Feltz said police went to her house in 2013 to ask about footage from the incident.
Harris was the second person convicted under the high-profile sex crime investigation Operation Yewtree, created following abuse claims made against late DJ and entertainer Jimmy Savile.
Harris was jailed for five years and nine months after being convicted of 12 assaults which took place between 1968 and 1986.
Family lawyer Daniel Burke said fresh claims against Harris would be “vigorously defended.”
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