Rolf Harris attack 'waiting to happen'
A prisoner inside the jail where disgraced entertainer Rolf Harris is serving his sentence for child sex offences says the safety of the 84-year-old is under threat.
"Rolf is a hate figure for many in prison. Attack him, you're going to get some notoriety," said a witness after the Australian was targeted during an incident in Bullingdon's Mens Prison in Oxfordshire.
Authorities confirmed that Rolf wasn't physically injured in the incident after a brawl erupted when an inmate tried to spit on him.
The spit hit another prisoner, sparking a violent attack that forced Harris into the corner.
"One prisoner called Rolf a dirty nonce and spat at him. All the others were jeering too, but the spit landed on the bloke next to Rolf, who went beserk," a bystander told The Sun.
"Rolf stood in a corner while the other prisoner was taken to a segregation unit. Then he just sat back down. He was shaken up, but didn’t let on."
News of the incident came as it was announced Harris has applied for permission to appeal against his convictions for a string of indecent assaults.
Harris was jailed for five years and nine months for the sex abuse, so he is due to serve just under three years for the crimes, which occurred between 1968 and 1986.
A spokesman for the Judicial Office confirmed lawyers had lodged papers at the Court of Appeal this week.
Harris was convicted of 12 indecent assaults on June 30 at Southwark Crown Court - one on an eight-year-old autograph hunter, two on girls in their early teens and a catalogue of abuse of his daughter's friend over 16 years.
The court will now consider whether to grant permission for him to continue with his appeal bid.
Earlier this week, the Attorney General's Office confirmed the sentence would not be referred to the Court of Appeal for being unduly lenient.
Harris, a family favourite for decades, was finally unmasked as a predator who was fixated with under-age girls during his trial, with jurors told how his 16-year campaign of sex abuse against his daughter's friend "haunted" her and made her abandon her dreams as he continued to be adored by millions of fans worldwide.
His fall from grace was underlined as he was stripped of a Bafta fellowship and accolades in Australia were removed, and he faces losing his prestigious CBE.
The performer's multi-million pound fortune is also at risk from potential compensation claims.
