ROLF HARRIS'S DAUGHTER ACCUSED HIM OF SEXUALLY MOLESTING HER FRIEND

Rolf Harris' own daughter accused him of abusing her best friend, a court heard today. 

Bindi Harris was 'beside herself' and was 'banging her head against a wall' during an irate phone call she made to him in 1997.

Ms Harris, now 50, also smashed some of his art after his alleged victim said the star abused her from the age of 13, the jury was told.

Southwark Crown Court was told the conversation took place in the late 1990s while Harris was overseas.

The woman, a childhood friend of Bindi, had confided in her after a night of drinking together 17 years ago when Ms Harris asked her: 'Did he touch you?', the court heard previously.

The alleged victim claims the veteran entertainer abused her over 16 years, starting when she was just 13 in 1978 during a family holiday to Hawaii and Australia.

 Rolf Harris arrives at Southwark Crown Court holding the hand of his daughter Bindi, who banged her head against a wall and smashed his art after accusing him of abusing her friend

Cross-examining Harris, 84, who is giving a third day of evidence, prosecutor Sasha Wass QC, asked him about the confrontation. 

She said: 'Bindi was beside herself, wasn't she, at the time after she had spoken to (the alleged victim)?'

Harris replied: 'I suppose so, yes.'

Ms Wass continued: 'And (she) had told her (Bindi), and she (Bindi) accused you of sexually abusing (the alleged victim) didn't she?'

When Harris agreed, Ms Wass added: 'She was so upset she smashed some paintings.

'She was in such a state that she was actually banging her head against the wall - did the information filter down to you?'

Harris said he had not been aware of that, but admitted that he knew Bindi had destroyed his artwork and had been in 'shock'. 

Ms Wass asked Harris if during the conversation he told his daughter that he had not abused her friend as a child, but that they had had a consenting adult relationship. 

The Aussie entertainer said: 'I can't remember exactly what I told Bindi at the time. I can't remember exact details of what Bindi said.'

Yesterday TV favourite Harris admitted that he admired his daughter's 13-year-old friend sexually while on holiday, and admitted having a 'darker side' alongside his public persona.

He was asked by the prosecutor if his 'slow walk' into court, with his wife Alwen on one arm and Bindi on the other, was 'just for the cameras', to which he replied: 'It's to show support.'

Ms Wass suggested today there was a 'common theme' among the allegations, which included claims that Harris preyed on women as he met them in his public role, abused them with an originally friendly gesture, assaulted them while they could not get away, did it while people were nearby, and then afterwards behaved as if nothing had happened.

But the star dismissed all of the allegations against him as lies today.

He denied that his claim that the woman asked him for £25,000 was an 'attempt to discredit' her and her family, and denied also trying to 'vilify' alleged victim Tonya Lee.

Ms Lee, who has waived the usual right to anonymity given to alleged sex offence victims, claims 

Harris touched her when she travelled to Britain from Australia for a tour in 1986.
Harris told the court he accused Ms Lee of making up the allegation because her story 'didn't hold water'.

He denied ever meeting Ms Lee, appearing more irritated: 'You're not listening to me, I never met Tonya Lee.'

Asked why she would have lied, he said: 'It would only be to support her story. I can't imagine why she would say that, but it's all lies.'

Harris also dismissed another allegation, made by a woman who claims he groped her as she got an autograph from the star at a community centre in Portsmouth, and told the court he was 'never there'.

He said he would not have needed to tour the country to promote his hit Two Little Boys, because it was an 'instant hit and hardly needed any promotion', and said he would not have performed it unaccompanied.

The star told the court: 'She's lying. It never happened, I wasn't there. I wasn't there, she must be making it up.'

Harris was asked about another claim, made by a woman who has appeared as a witness, but whose allegations do not relate to a charge, in which he is said to have told her he wanted to be the first person to give her a 'tongue kiss'.

He said: 'I would never say that, I hate that expression.'

The star also dismissed another claim by a separate witness who says he groped her, saying it was lies, and said he had 'no recollection' of meeting another witness who has told the court he assaulted her in Malta.

Lonneke Broadribb, 49, a friend of Harris's daughter Bindi, told the court that they had been friends at primary school, continuing into their teens.

Miss Broadribb told the court that she had met the friend who claims Harris indecently assaulted her, but only knew her through Bindi.

Miss Broadribb described the Harris family as 'warm with each other, very loving, very cuddly, very giggly'.

'She (Bindi) had a great relationship with her parents, particularly close to her mum.'

Miss Broadribb told the court that she had always been made to feel welcome by the Harrises, and, when asked by the star's defence barrister, Sonia Woodley QC, if she had ever found anything 'odd or weird' about them, she said no.

She told the court that Harris would often greet people with a 'big cuddle or a kiss' but said it was affectionate rather than sexual.

'Did you ever feel uncomfortable in his presence?' Ms Woodley asked.

'No, never,' she answered.

The case was adjourned until 10am tomorrow.

Harris from Bray in Berkshire, denies 12 counts of indecent assault.

He is accused of abusing four separate women, aged between seven or eight, and 19, over a period spanning almost 20 years, between 1968 and 1986.

The trial continues.