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‘Gravely ill’ Rolf Harris ‘receiving 24-hour care for neck cancer’

‘I’m told he can’t eat anymore,’ neighbour quoted as saying

Zoe Tidman
Wednesday 05 October 2022 21:50 BST
Rolf Harris is reportedly unable to eat anymore as he suffers from neck cancer
Rolf Harris is reportedly unable to eat anymore as he suffers from neck cancer (AFP via Getty Images)

Convicted paedophile Rolf Harris is “gravely sick” with neck cancer and receiving around-the-clock care, it has been reported.

The disgraced entertainer is unable to eat anymore and only receives medical professionals at home in the UK, according to media reports.

Harris was jailed for sexual offences in 2014 and released three years later under licence.

His victims included two girls in their early teens and his daughter’s friend.

Harris, 92, is now reported to be suffering from ill health that requires 24-hour care.

“Only carers and nurses, who care for him 24 hours, come and go,” one of his Berkshire neighbours, Portia Wooderson, is quoted by News Corp Australia as saying. “I’m told he can’t eat anymore.”

William Merritt, a private investigator who wrote a book on Harris’ trials, told the Mirror: “As far as his health goes, yes, he is very ill. But, Rolf keeps going. He’s still around but he’s not well at all.“

In 2019, two years after Harris was released from prison, reports suggested the convicted paedophile’s health had “declined rapidly”.

Rolf Harris has not spoken in public since his release from prison (AFP via Getty Images)

Several years before, Harris was rushed to hospital in 2016 with suspected sepsis while serving his sentence at Stafford jail, which is specifically for men convicted of sex offences.

He has not spoken in public since his release from prison.

The 92-year-old was convicted of 12 indecent assaults spanning nearly two decades - 1968 to 1986 - at London’s Southwark Crown Court in 2014. One of these convictions was later quashed.

He was stripped of his CBE - which he received after painting Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait - following his conviction.

ITV revealed this year it would be airing a documentary about Harris, once a family favourite TV entertainer, that will tell the story of his rise and fall through interviews with victims, investigators and colleagues.

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