He is a National Living Treasure and an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), the third highest honour the nation has to bestow. In 2001 he was awarded the Centenary Medal “for service to entertainment, charity and the community” and in 2008 inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.
His awards in Great Britain are just as impressive, being appointed a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) and receiving two honorary doctorates from English Universities.
But if Harris is found guilty of indecently assaulting four girls between 1968 and 1986, should he be stripped of these honours?
Only one other Australian Living Treasure has been stripped of the title – the disgraced former judge, Marcus Einfeld, who was found to have committed “deliberate, premeditated perjury” in relation to a $77 speeding ticket.
Almost two dozen Australians have had their Orders of Australia rescinded, among them former billionaire Alan Bond, former Western Australia Premier Brian Burke and most recently, former HIH director Ray Williams.
Moves to retract Great Britain’s highest honours however, may face some snags as the case of British entertainer Jimmy Saville has shown. Despite deafening calls to strip the ex-BBC presenter of his knighthood, awarded in 1990 in recognition of his charity work, it cannot actually be removed as an OBE or knighthood expires when a person dies. The title ‘Sir’ however, stays with the person, prompting a bizarre suggestion that Jimmy Saville should be given a second knighthood so he can be stripped of it publicly.
Saville has been posthumously erased from other awards, including the honorary green beret by the Royal Marines, an honorary doctorate from the University of Bedfordshire in 2009, and the Freeman of the Borough of Scarborough honour.
Rolf Harris’s child sex abuse trial is reaching its conclusion, with the defence closing its case on Thursday and jury members being told it is getting “very close” to the time when they will be asked to consider their verdict. The 84-year-old denies guilt in all 12 charges.
Prosecutor Sasha Wass QC will next week make her final speech to the jury, followed by defence lawyer Sonia Woodley QC. Justice Sweeney will then sum up the case before the jury retires to consider its verdict.
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