READ MORE:
Rolf Harris and fellow celebrity paedophile Jimmy Savile teamed up to watch vulnerable patients undress at Broadmoor hospital, a former patient has claimed.
In the aftermath of Harris being found guilty on a range of indecent assault charges, it has emerged the Australian entertainer visited the hospital after being invited by the disgraced DJ.
West London Mental Health said Harris was one of a number of celebrities Savile invited to the premises, but added they were unable to provide specific details.
A former patient at the psychiatric hospital claims Harris was shown around by Savile as female patients were undressing for bed.
The pair reportedly watched vulnerable young inmates after arriving outside visiting hours on a women’s ward where Savile is accused of assaulting a teenage patient.
Former patient Alizon Pink, who is now a man after having a sex change, told The Mirror the pair appeared as patients prepared to strip naked in the corridor in front of them.
Alizon, now called Steven George, said the pair were “birds of a feather”.
Mr George said: “Harris was very famous at the time and had his weekend show. He walked down the passageway of York ward with Savile opening the doors along with a nursing officer.
“Some of the girls came out and there was an unprompted performance of Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport. He then went through to the punishment ward.
"At that time of the evening all the girls on that ward would have been undressed ready for bed.
"We all had to get completely undressed in the hallway in front of the staff, male and female, to show nothing was being taken into our rooms.
The Bracknell Times reported on an event attended by the pair in 1973.
“Jimmy spends an enormous amount of time at the hospital and is a regular visitor to the annual fete," it reported.
“The fete’s other celebrity, Rolf Harris, also proved a big hit too.”
Harris’ visit was mentioned in last week’s report on Savile’s abuse of vulnerable victims in the hospital, it was reported.
While it found no evidence of wrongdoing by Harris, the report stated: “We heard convincing accounts of a pattern of inappropriate behaviour surrounding Savile’s attendance on female wards at bath time and bedtime... female patients would be obliged to strip while lined up in corridors.
“We heard that Savile followed a clear pattern of arriving on a female ward at just before this time.”
The report adds: “Unchallenged by staff, he would then watch from behind, as the row of female patients undressed.”
The Department of Health says it is not considering an investigation into whether Harris was involved in sexual abuse at the facility while inquiries into Savile's activities at NHS hospitals are ongoing.
Harris, 84, was found guilty yesterday of a string of indecent assaults against underage girls and will be sentenced on Friday.
FROM THE TRIAL:
During his trial, four females described their ordeal at the hands of Australian-born Harris - with the youngest being just seven or eight years old.
He was accused of indecent assaults dating between 1968 and 1986, but several other women who gave evidence at his trial relived how they had been molested by him as late as 1991.
The NSPCC said it has so far received 28 calls relating to Harris, involving 13 people who made direct allegations against the performer.
And a similar picture is emerging in Australia , where another charity says warnings were ignored.
Following the news of Harris' conviction, Australian prime minister Tony Abbott told the ABC: "I feel gutted and dismayed but it's very important that we do everything we humanly can to protect vulnerable young people.
"Sexual abuse is an utterly abhorrent crime."
Story continues beneath slideshow
Meanwhile, tributes to the disgraced entertainer could be torn down in his home state of Western Australia as police consider new allegations against him.
Harris was once proudly referred to as "the Boy from Bassendean", but now his home town, in Perth, is planning to remove all honours it bestowed on him, including a plaque outside his family home and artworks in council buildings.
A spokesman for the Academy confirmed that the children's entertainer's honour will be removed in light of the conviction.