Rolf Harris: Officials Investigate Reports Convicted Sex Offender Walked Onto Primary School Grounds

The disgraced entertainer was reportedly spotted at a school in Maidenhead.
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Officials are probing a report that disgraced entertainer Rolf Harris walked onto the grounds of a primary school and waved at pupils.

The convicted sex offender went onto the premises of Oldfield Primary School near his home in Bray, Maidenhead, to talk to a sculptor working in the grounds, the Daily Mirror reported.

Harris, who was jailed for five years and nine months in 2014 but released on licence in May 2017, was then told to leave by the school’s headteacher.

A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said: “When sex offenders are released they are subject to strict licence conditions and are liable to be returned to custody for breaching them.

“We are looking into these reports and will take appropriate action.”

Thames Valley Police (TVP) said an officer attended the scene and established that no offence had been committed.

Headteacher Richard Jarrett told the paper that the school has “two forms of security” and Harris had no access to the pupils “whatsoever”.

He told the paper: “We’ve got a wood sculptor working close to the road at the moment and Rolf Harris lives about three doors down from the school.

“He must have seen him (the sculptor) and come into the school area. He had no access to the children whatsoever.

“I went over and shook his hand and introduced myself. He explained what he was doing – that he was getting some wood from the sculptor. I said, ‘You need to go’.”

 

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In a statement, Jarrett said: “In line with our standard procedures, an uninvited individual was asked to leave the outer perimeter of the school site yesterday, which he did without delay.

“At no time did any of our pupils come into contact with the individual, nor was the individual invited by us on to school grounds.

“As a precaution, the incident has been reported to the Thames Valley Police.”

TVP said it was called to Oldfield Primary School at around 3.15pm on Tuesday.

The force added: “A report was made that a man was on the site of the school. An officer attended the scene but no offence was committed. No arrests were made.”

Harris, a family favourite for decades, was convicted of 12 indecent assaults at London’s Southwark Crown Court in June 2014, including one on an eight-year-old autograph hunter, two on girls in their early teens, and a catalogue of abuse against his daughter’s friend over 16 years.

They took place between 1968 and 1986.

In May 2017 he was formally cleared of four unconnected historical sex offences, which he had denied. Later the same year, one of the 12 indecent assault convictions was overturned by the Court of Appeal.