UK kids' TV star Rolf Harris jailed for child abuse
By Costas Pitas
Jul 4, 2014
(Reuters) - Veteran entertainer Rolf Harris, a household name in his native Australia
and adopted home Britain, was jailed for almost six years on Friday for
repeatedly abusing young girls during decades as a beloved host of
children's television.
Handing down the sentence,
Judge Nigel Sweeney said the 84-year-old host of shows like "Rolf Harris
Cartoon Time" had shown no remorse for the harm he had done to his
victims.
Harris was found guilty
earlier this week of 12 counts of assaulting four girls, some as young
as seven or eight, between 1968 and 1986.
It
was the second conviction in a long-running investigation into sex
abuse by British celebrities that has led to soul searching in the
country, revealing that some of its most prominent stars of the 1970s
and 1980s were serial pedophiles who evaded detection for decades.
"It
is clear from the evidence that what you did has had a significant
adverse effect on each victim," the judge told Harris, detailing how one
woman had battled with alcoholism as a direct result of his abuse.
"You have shown no remorse for your crimes at all."
An
artist and musician who first earned fame in the 1950s with the top 10
hit novelty song "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport", Harris went on to
present prime-time TV shows mostly aimed at children during five decades
at the pinnacle of show business. In 2005 he painted Queen Elizabeth's
portrait.
Harris was the biggest
name to go on trial since British police launched "Operation Yewtree" to
investigate celebrity child abuse, following revelations that late BBC
TV host Jimmy Savile had been a prolific child abuser.
Harris
sat motionless as the judge read out the sentence at a packed courtroom
at London's Southwark Crown Court. He was later led from the dock,
wearing a grey suit, white shirt and multi-colored tie.
During
the trial, the prosecution had portrayed the bearded, bespectacled
entertainer as a predator who groomed and abused one woman for her
entire teenage and young-adult life.
The
London court was told he first assaulted the woman when she got out of
the shower aged 13, and then repeatedly abused her until she was 28
years old.
Police launched
Operation Yewtree in the wake of the disclosures that Savile, who died
in 2011 at 84, had managed to escape detection while abusing hundreds of
children over the course of decades as one of Britain's best known
celebrities, using his fame to gain access to victims and deflect
suspicion.
Since then, a dozen
ageing British media luminaries have been the target of investigations
over decades-old child abuse allegations.
The
country's most well known publicist, Max Clifford, was found guilty in
May of indecently assaulting teenage girls some 30 years ago as part of
the investigation.
(Writing by Kate Holton; Editing by Peter Graff)
Showing posts with label abuse of children. Show all posts
Showing posts with label abuse of children. Show all posts
Friday, July 04, 2014
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Florida teacher accused of forcing student to clean urinal with bare hands
Florida teacher accused of forcing student to clean urinal with bare hands
Published February 20, 2014
FoxNews.com
Jennifer Forshey is accused of forcing a 10-year-old student to clean up a urine-filled, clogged urinal with his bare hands.
A Florida elementary school teacher was arrested Wednesday after police say she forced a 10-year-old student to clean a clogged urinal at the school with his bare hands, WSVN.com reported.
Police say Jennifer Forshey, a teacher at Broward Community Charter School West in Coral Springs, forced the student in early February to clean the urinal as a form of punishment for clogging it, the report said. After the incident, police say the boy’s hands were "saturated in what smelled like urine." The school reportedly learned about the alleged incident when the boy went to an office in the school looking for soap.
The boy, who was not identified, told WSVN he felt embarrassed and now classmates tease him. The boy’s mother called the matter "irresponsible" and the family has since hired an attorney, the report said.
"I just think it's something no kid should go through. And I wouldn't want him to ever go through anything like that again," Jenay Roberts, the boy’s mom, said. The school did not comment on the issue.
Forshey, who was released from jail after posting bond, faces a charge of battery
of a child by exposure to urine.
Published February 20, 2014
FoxNews.com
Jennifer Forshey is accused of forcing a 10-year-old student to clean up a urine-filled, clogged urinal with his bare hands.
A Florida elementary school teacher was arrested Wednesday after police say she forced a 10-year-old student to clean a clogged urinal at the school with his bare hands, WSVN.com reported.
Police say Jennifer Forshey, a teacher at Broward Community Charter School West in Coral Springs, forced the student in early February to clean the urinal as a form of punishment for clogging it, the report said. After the incident, police say the boy’s hands were "saturated in what smelled like urine." The school reportedly learned about the alleged incident when the boy went to an office in the school looking for soap.
The boy, who was not identified, told WSVN he felt embarrassed and now classmates tease him. The boy’s mother called the matter "irresponsible" and the family has since hired an attorney, the report said.
"I just think it's something no kid should go through. And I wouldn't want him to ever go through anything like that again," Jenay Roberts, the boy’s mom, said. The school did not comment on the issue.
Forshey, who was released from jail after posting bond, faces a charge of battery
of a child by exposure to urine.
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