Woman claims Rolf Harris pulled her onto his knee and slipped his hand up her skirt when she asked for his autograph aged 14
A WOMAN has alleged that Rolf Harris pulled her onto his knee and put his hand up her skirt as he gave her an autograph in 1971, a court was told today.
At the time of the alleged incident the woman was 14 years old, and she told the court how news of Jimmy Savile's sick abuse "triggered" her to come forward in calling the NSPCC.
However the 86-year-old star's defence team today claimed she may be seeking compensation after he was jailed for five years and nine months in 2014 for sexually assaulting four victims between 1968 and 1986.
In those convictions, the youngest victim was aged just seven.
Today Southwark Crown Court was played the complainant's call to the NSPCC, which she later claimed she could not remember.
The call was made on July 3, 2014, a day before he was sentenced.
She said in the call: "It's a bit difficult to talk about. I'm actually aware of something that has been in the news obviously regarding a certain celebrity that's being charged tomorrow."
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The operator replied: "I assume you're calling about Rolf Harris" and she said "yes."
She was put through to an advisor and told him: "I've not had the courage to come forward, I have seen this in the news.
"I have been pushed by friends for years to say something. It's to the point where I have never been able to watch him on the television.
"I will tell you what happened. He put his hand up me skirt and then at one point he dragged me onto his knee which, you know, was horrendous when you were 14."
The court heard Harris pulled her on to his lap and slipped his hand up her skirt as she went to get his autograph at the Lyceum Theatre in London's West End on 10 July 1971.
She told the NSPCC: "With all this coming in the papers this week I have just stopped - well I should say something you know, it's just not right.
"It all kicked off with, obviously it started with Jimmy Savile. I've told friends for years 'you know, I know who's coming next'.
"Where I'm employed, I've been employed there for 13 years now. And I've said to all my work colleagues and my bosses, you know: 'I'll tell you who'll be next.'"
The woman later told her mother and aunt about the allegation - but they both suffer with dementia and aren't fit to give evidence.
Her father has since died.
Stephen Vullo QC, defending Harris, asked if she had come forward after seeing news reports about Harris' former victims getting compensation.
He asked: "So there's really no point in me saying to you well, there's this media about compensation and that's why you have come forward, you didn't know about that, that's what you are saying?"
She said: "I didn't read about that and that's not why I have come forward."
Mr Vullo asked: "Do you accept that in fact contrary to what you told us a few moments ago that you were following Mr Harris' trial in the media and the press?"
She replied: "I wasn't following it intently, at work there could be a newspaper there but I wasn't following it."
Prosecutor Jonathan Rees said: "You told us yesterday that it was when the news of Jimmy Savile entered the newspapers that you retrieved the photograph of Mr Harris."
She said: "When it was on about Mr Savile it triggered everything again."
The woman told the NSPCC her father gave Harris a "mouthful" when she told him that the entertainer had touched her.
"When it happened I ran to my mum and dad, my parents," she said.
"I ran to my parents and my father went and gave him a mouthful."
A friend of the woman told jurors he saw her crying after the incident in Lyceum Theatre and said he saw her father angrily confront Harris.
"She was with her parents in a state of disgust," he said. "She was crying."
He said of her father: "He looked rather angry, well red-faced, he was angry and I know the reason for that now."
The man did not remember seeing Harris pull the girl onto his lap.
Another friend there on the day said she remembers Harris sat signing autographs for people in the busy room, and said of the complainant: "I remember her being taken by the waist and sat on his knee. You don't obviously want to sit on somebody's knee who you have never met.
"He was a gentleman, we were young girls, that's the only reason I think it stuck in my mind."
When the complainant called her to ask if she remembered the incident in 2014, she said: ''I immediately answered 'oh yes, that was the day Rolf Harris sat you on his knee'."
She said: ''That's the time I'm talking about and that's all we said."
Mr Vullo suggested that during the call the complainant "went further than you had ever heard her say before and say Mr Harris touched me inappropriately".
She said: "I assumed at that point it was obviously something and I still haven't asked her."
The woman added: "Her words would be 'I was touched inappropriately' I think that was probably used, I didn't ask her how."
The witness denied "encouraging" her friend to report Harris to the police.
Harris is standing trial via video link from HMP Stafford.
He claims he will be too "ill, tired, or hungry" if he has to attend Southwark Crown Court in person.
The former entertainer denies seven counts of indecent assault and one count of sexual assault against seven complainants who were contacted by police and the NSPCC in the wake of publicity surrounding his first trial.
A blind woman who claims he "slobbered" over her and a disabled woman is among his alleged victims.
The disgraced entertainer is said to have been "struggling" to sit through the case at HMP Stafford today.
Judge Alistair McCreath QC told jurors: "Mr Harris may from time to time want to get up and stretch himself a little but I said that there's no problem with him doing that."
Harris denies seven counts of indecent assault and one of sexual assault.
The trial continues.
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