Unbelievable! 10 Counts Child Sex Assault, 3 Counts Child Abduction - No Jail Time

Sex abuse athletics coach Darrell Bunn sentenced.

A former international athletics coach who admitted a series of sexual assaults and child abduction charges against a teenage girl in the 1980s has avoided being jailed.

Darrell Bunn, 64, who worked at the Birchfield Harriers club, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of sexual assault, at Birmingham Crown Court.

Bunn, from Bromsgrove, also admitted three counts of child abduction.

He was given a two-year jail sentence, suspended for two years. What is the point of that? Is this girl's abuse worth nothing? In the USA this creep would never see the light of day again. Hopefully someone will appeal the leniency of this sentence.

Bunn was also given a supervision order for the same period and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years.

Four further charges of sexual assault were ordered to lie on file against Bunn, from Marlbrook, at the court hearing on Friday.

I have no idea what this means. Are there still 4 charges outstanding against him? Is he going to be prosecuted on them? Is Marlbrook another jurisdiction? What? Is there someone who can explain it to me?

Google Nabs Child Porn User from Gmail

Google has revealed the identity of a user after discovering child abuse imagery in the man's Gmail account in Houston, Texas, according to a local news report.

It alerted a child protection agency, which notified the police and the man was arrested, KHOU 11 News reported.

Even though it's only one out of millions, this is an encouraging development. Keep at it Google.

Google told the BBC it would not comment on individual accounts.

The arrest raises questions over the privacy of personal email and Google's role in policing the web.

Police in Houston told the local news station that Google detected explicit images of a young girl in an email being sent by John Henry Skillern. After the existence of the email was referred to them by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the police obtained a search warrant and arrested the man.

The 41-year-old is a convicted sex offender. He has been charged with possessing child pornography, it was reported.

"I can't see that information, I can't see that photo, but Google can," Detective David Nettles said.

Emma Carr, the acting director of privacy lobby group Big Brother Watch, told the BBC: "With the rate that Gmail messages are scanned, and the fact that all US companies are bound by US law to report suspected child abuse, it is hardly surprising that this individual has found themselves on the wrong side of the law.

"However, Gmail users will certainly be interested to know what action Google proactively takes to monitor and analyse Gmail messages for illegal content, including details of what sorts of illegal activity may be targeted. Google must also make themselves very clear about what procedures and safeguards are in place to ensure that people are not wrongly criminalised."

The BBC understands that Google does not search Gmail accounts for other forms of illegal activity, such as pirated content or hate speech.

David Drummond, the chief legal officer for Google, has previously said that Google helps fund the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), which is tasked with "proactively identifying child abuse images that Google can then remove from our search engine".

Google works with the IWF and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children extensively, he said, adding: "We have built technology that trawls other platforms for known images of child sex abuse. We can then quickly remove them and report their existence to the authorities."

Google automatically scans email accounts to provide ads within Gmail, which has more than 400 million users worldwide.

In April, Google updated its terms and conditions to say: "Our automated systems analyse your content (including emails) to provide you personally relevant product features, such as customised search results, tailored advertising, and spam and malware detection. This analysis occurs as the content is sent, received, and when it is stored."

This occurred after a class-action lawsuit against the company over email scanning was dismissed earlier this year. At the time, Google said that "a person has no legitimate expectation of privacy in information he voluntarily turns over to third parties". 

In April Google also stopped scanning more than 30 million Gmail accounts linked to an educational scheme following reports that the scans might have breached a US privacy law.

Facebook has also faced a similar class-action lawsuit over message scanning.

Canadian Man Faces 40 More Days in Indonesian Jail While Investigated for Child Sex Abuse

Neil Bantleman, the Burlington, Ontario, Canada, man who was arrested in Indonesia on allegations of child sexual assault, is facing another 40 days behind bars.

A learning coordinator at the Jakarta International School, Bantleman was arrested in connection with allegations that some kindergarten students at the institution were sexually assaulted.

Police arrested the 45-year-old teacher on July 14, but haven’t charged him with any crime. 

Neil Bantleman is a former Calgary, Alberta teacher. His wife, Tracy Bantleman, says the time since his arrest has been an "horrific nightmare." 

Bantleman’s brother Guy spoke with CBC News on Sunday and said that Indonesian officials told the family that it may be more than a month until the Burlington teacher is released.

"The information we're getting out at this point is that my brother was advised on Saturday, so Day 20, that his detention would be extended for another up to 40 days,” Guy said.

“We're also learning that the police chief in Jakarta is pushing his investigative team to complete their review and forward all material and any supposed evidence on to the prosecution's office. We have to wait that process out. "

The family has been working with the Canadian government’s Department of Foreign Affairs to try to win Bantleman’s release.

“We're going to intensify our efforts, specifically with the Canadian government in Canada,” Guy said. “Diplomatic services has done a good job of supporting Neil in Indonesia. And at this point, we need to get the government and various ministries here more involved to push through."

Bantleman's arrest stemmed from a Jakarta police investigation into the alleged sexual assault of three kindergarten students at the school, local media reports said. He was detained along with teaching assistant Ferdinand Tjiong, who is Indonesian.

Last year the Vice Principal of an east Jakarta high school was named a suspect in a child sex abuse case at the school. Early this year the owner of an orphanage was arrested for allegedly abusing as many as 30 children in his care. 

Then in March of this year the Jakarta Post newspaper reported that six outsourced cleaners were arrested for allegedly raping a young boy in a school bathroom. There's a good chance that the police are a bit spooked by the dramatic increase in child sex abuse in Indonesia, especially when it is high profile as in the Jakarta Int'l School.

Later on, the parents of two other students filed police reports claiming their sons were sexually assaulted by teachers. The newspaper also reported that one complainant, whose family is suing the school for US $125 million, implicated school teachers.

This is contradictory. Was it one or two parents, or maybe 3, who implicated teachers? If it is just the one who is suing the school for 125 million dollars, then the credibility of the complaint is in question. 

There is a growing cottage industry in Indonesia where children are rented out by their parents, then the parent sues the pedophile and gets rich. I wouldn't be  surprised if this is just a get rich quick scheme. But I hope and pray that the truth will be revealed no matter what it is.

Bantleman's passport is being held by police and his home and office were searched.

Supporters in Canada have been rallying for Bantleman’s release since he was taken to police custody. Vigils were held in Ontario and Alberta this week to raise awareness about the family’s cause.

Earlier this week, Tracy Bantleman, Neil’s wife, told CBC Hamilton that her husband appeared “scared” and “fragile” when she’s visited him in jail.

Neil and Tracy Bantleman

She said her husband and Tijong shares a cell with five other inmates, most of whom say they don’t know why they are being held.

"They go to sleep, they're hopeful,” Tracy said. “They wake up and they're in a dark reality." 

A Pedophile's Life in Prison is Not Fun - Just Ask Rolf Harris

Chapel, in prison, can be precarious. One never knows when some seemingly small matter will touch off a manic response. I greatly admire those who have prison ministries. God bless them.

He was once a household name and national treasure.

But now, Rolf Harris is a convicted paedophile drawing the ire of fellow prison inmates who have declared the entertainer a "hate figure" following a recent prison brawl.

The incident happened during a church service in the chapel at men's prison HMP Bullingdon in Oxfordshire, according to UK media reports. An inmate reportedly tried to spit on Harris.

The spit instead landed on another prisoner, which sparked a punch-up between the inmates, the Daily Mail reported. The 84-year-old Australian was not physically hurt.

"One prisoner called Rolf a dirty nonce and spat at him," a witness told The Sun. "All the others were jeering too, but the spit landed on the bloke next to Rolf, who went beserk.

"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." Naturally, he was terrified of being beaten up, after all, he's a 'lover' not a 'fighter'. Which is why he is there in the first place.

Rolf Harris - Hate figure in prison

Prisoners said it was an attack waiting to happen.

"Rolf is a hate figure for many in prison. Attack him, you're going to get some notoriety," one inmate told The Sun.

Harris has applied to British authorities for permission to appeal against his convictions on 12 indecent assaults.

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.

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 dollar fortune is also at risk from potential compensation claims.

Harris was jailed for five years and nine months for the sex abuse. He is due to serve just under three years for the crimes, which occurred between 1968 and 1986.

Earlier this week, the Attorney General's Office confirmed the sentence would not be referred to the Court of Appeal for being unduly lenient.

Horribly Abused Boy Still Being Abused by the 'System' 30 Years On

With numerous inquiries into alleged child abuse either up and running or poised to begin, is there a risk the individual voices of victims might get lost? One survivor believes so. This is his story.

"I was trafficked to Wrexham, Cornwall, Plymouth and London and forced to perform sex acts on men there."

The person making the claim - we will call him Michael - was at the time a young teenager in the care of Suffolk County Council.

Now in his late 30s, and still living in Suffolk, Michael's is a case which demonstrates the great difficulty survivors face in trying to get their voices heard.

He told the authorities about the abuse 20 years ago. He claims nothing was done. He raised them again with both Suffolk Police and the county council again last year.

Michael claims again, nothing has been done. Worse still, he maintains the authorities have actively worked to discredit him in order to ignore his claims.

His allegations against the police and the county council have been put in detail to both organisations by the BBC. Suffolk Police said it would not comment on individual cases and the council said an investigation was under way.

Michael says society needs to be more vigilant in the protection of children and young people

His account of abuse spans several years at different locations. On the surface these episodes of abuse might appear unrelated, but Michael believes they were connected in that an abuser who knew an abuser knew an abuser. And he was effectively passed along that chain.

"It wasn't quite a paedophile ring," says Michael. "More an affiliation of abusers who all knew each other." I think they might call that a 'ring'.

The physical and sexual abuse, Michael says, began at the hands of his sister when he was aged between three and four and continued later when a boyfriend of his mother allegedly seriously sexually assaulted him.

He was taken into local authority care aged 13 to be housed at a now-closed adolescent unit in Suffolk where, after refusing to perform a sex act on a visitor, he was locked in a cupboard for 32 hours. On finally being released, he was sexually assaulted.

He was then moved to a children's home - again, now closed - where, he says, a number of adults, including uniformed police officers, abused children.

He told of one man who gave sweets or cigarettes to children who masturbated him.

Young people were taken from both the unit and children's home to north London to perform oral sex and were anally raped by men.

Children who refused, he says, were beaten.

In 1992 he was moved to the Stowmarket home of a single male foster carer where he was to remain for about six months.

The abuse started on the fourth night and escalated, says Michael, from being asked to perform sex acts (to then being told he was dirty and threatened about reporting the abuse) to rape.

It did not end there.

Michael was taken on "trips away" to Plymouth, Portsmouth, Wrexham, Cornwall and Islington, where he would be expected to perform sex acts for other abusers.

Occasionally, the children were given a little money - usually a £10 note.

"You'd find yourself thinking, at least I got a 'tenner' for it," says Michael.

An assessment of his foster carer's suitability for the role was carried out by the local authority and has been seen by the BBC.

Michael says he was trafficked to various parts of the UK
including the west country, north Wales and London

It tells how the foster carer's "major source of fulfilment and satisfaction has been with young people" and that children "should have some responsibility and would want to give them this within the household regime". It also mentions how he had given up "often two evenings per week" to help out a school currently under at the centre of a separate major investigation into child sex abuse.

This foster carer was later - after caring for Michael - convicted of sexually abusing another boy.

On leaving Stowmarket, Michael describes living in "slave" conditions on a country estate in Suffolk where he came into contact with the now dead Peter Righton, a consultant to the National Children's Bureau who was eventually unmasked as a paedophile. Righton repeatedly sexually abused him, Michael claims.

Michael claims a senior police officer had visited the estate to raise concerns about Righton's presence there. Suffolk Police would not respond to this allegation or say whether there had been any investigation into alleged activities at the estate.

The abuse largely stopped after he left care - though Michael says he was occasionally taken to parties, where he would be paid to commit sex acts.

But he tells how men at these parties would demand "fresh flesh" and how some who had already abused him lost interest in him.

Cyril Smith died in 2010 without ever
facing the abuse claims against him

Looking back at the abuse he suffered, Michael says: "It was just horrendous."

"Society needs to be more proactive with these things."

Child abuse investigations

The Metropolitan Police's Operation Fernbridge, which is investigating allegations of a network of abusers in the late 1970s and 1980s at the former Elm Guest House in Barnes, south-west London - the scene of alleged parties involving MPs and other members of the establishment

Greater Manchester Police are conducting a new investigation into allegations of abuse by Cyril Smith in Rochdale, including at Knowl View, a children's home which closed in 1994

28 NHS hospitals have published reports on allegations involving the late BBC DJ and presenter Jimmy Savile. Four other hospitals are due to report in the autumn. A former judge is also looking into whether culture and practice at the BBC enabled Savile to carry out the sexual abuse of children

Operation Yewtree - set up following Savile's death in 2011 - has seen a string of high-profile entertainers being prosecuted for alleged sex crimes

And local authorities have been instructed to investigate claims that Savile abused children at 21 children's homes and schools in England in the 1960s, 70s and 80s

Operation Cayacos, which is among numerous other ongoing historical child abuse investigations around the UK, is investigating allegations of a paedophile ring linked to Peter Righton, a founding member of the Paedophile Information Exchange, a group that campaigned to make sex between adults and children legal

He says the council "conspired" to have him "declared mentally ill, and have consistently ignored my complaints of historic sexual abuse."

This, he claims, has enabled "other agencies to ignore complaints I have made".

He has formal complaints lodged against both Suffolk Police and the county council.

Peter Righton

Council documents seen by the BBC do indeed refer to Michael having a "dissociative personality disorder" and makes various other suggestions about his mental health - but this is contradicted by a consultant psychiatrist who assessed Michael late last year.

This psychiatrist, who works for the Norfolk and Suffolk Mental Health Trust, said "no history of mental illness has been found" and that Michael "showed no features of mental illness".

The confidential council documents also mention Michael was arrested on suspicion of rape and murder in 1994 - he was found to have had nothing to do with either crime.

A spokesman for the authority said: "We are aware of this complaint which, like any, we take very seriously.

"In terms of the allegations of historical abuse, we have advised the complainant to contact the police and have appointed an independent advocate to support him.

"In addition, we are also investigating related practice issues. We are currently awaiting the outcome of that investigation."

The allegations were also put to Suffolk police which said: "Suffolk Constabulary takes all allegations of sexual assault seriously and the allegations are always fully investigated, however we are not able to comment on individual cases." Yeah, that's what they all say.

Michael, who is currently in contact with the Met Police, said he is not seeking any compensation in relation to his allegations or complaints against the authorities.

He does, however, want an apology and those involved held accountable.

Deborah Dennis, spokeswoman for the charity Stop it Now, which campaigns to prevent child sexual abuse, said: "Extreme cases such as this, which involve organised abuse, do happen but, thankfully, they are rare. Far more often abuse happens at home either by the family members of the abused or someone else very close to the victim.

"Often we think abuse only happens in big cities. It doesn't. In this case it is Suffolk. Any area can be affected by sexual abuse and exploitation."

Police Should Name Arrested Suspects, Says Appeals Court Judge

The identity of suspects arrested by the police should be publicised before they are charged, the British Court of Appeal has ruled.

In a hugely significant verdict, judges said the public understood that naming a person who had been arrested did not mean they were guilty. 

The judgment is a boost for freedom of information campaigners – who have been battling increasing police secrecy.

The ruling at the Court of Appeal overturns guidance issued in the wake of the
Leveson report which said the names of suspects should only be revealed '
in exceptional circumstances'

In the wake of the Leveson report, many forces have become reluctant to name people at the point of arrest – despite the fact that it can encourage witnesses to come forward.

Yesterday’s ruling came in the case of a man who was arrested over allegations of child sex abuse. He was not subsequently charged but his identity was disclosed in open court during the trial of other men.

Newspapers notified the man that, once the trial was over, they planned to report the fact that he had been arrested, along with other details. He objected, saying he would be ‘stigmatised as a suspected paedophile’, and applied for a privacy injunction.

The request was rejected by Mr Justice Tugendhat last year and yesterday the Court of Appeal upheld that decision. The man’s lawyers had argued the public did not understand that suspects are ‘innocent until proven guilty’ and naming them breached their privacy.

But Lady Justice Sharp said the principle of open justice must be upheld. She said: ‘Most members of the public understand the presumption of innocence and are able to distinguish between the position of someone who has been (merely) arrested, someone who has been charged, and someone who has been convicted of a criminal offence.

‘The fact of his arrest and other associated information has been extensively referred to in open court, including in public rulings given at criminal trials, and the respondents [the Press] want to report this.’
Historically, police forces have confirmed or denied a suspect has been arrested or interviewed under caution if asked by journalists.

But this changed in the wake of the Leveson report into Press standards which said only in exceptional circumstances should the names of suspects be released.

Naming suspects at the point of arrest has proved important in a string of cases. Further victims of both Stuart Hall and Rolf Harris came forward after their identities emerged. 

The man involved in yesterday’s case is appealing to the Supreme Court. 

Do you agree with this decision by the Court of Appeals? Knowing our tendency to be presumptuous and to jump to conclusions, will we not convict him before the courts do? Once your name is associated with pedophilia, it will always be associated with pedophilia. Personally, I don't like the decision even though it may help bring some convictions that otherwise might not stand.

Police Officer Charged with Child Sex Abuse

Screengrab of Timothy Gavin not a Character from Lost

ROBERTSDALE, Alabama – The Baldwin County Major Crimes Unit held a press conference Friday, August 1, to announce the arrest of Orange Beach Police Officer Timothy Gavin for sex abuse of a child under the age of 12.

Officials say they arrested former officer Timothy Gavin Friday morning right after Gavin resigned. Gavin had been an officer at the Orange Beach Police Department since 2005. He joined the Baldwin County Drug Task Force in March of 2014.

Baldwin County Sheriff Huey Hoss Mack said the alleged crime happened three to four years ago, but a family member brought it to their attention three days ago.

“I think the most bothersome thing is that we’ve got a  young victim. That’s what is the most bothersome. The fact that we’ve got a young child that’s been victimized by law enforcement, an officer, anybody. Of course we’re disappointed,” he said. “I’m disappointed.”

Gavin’s bond hearing will be Monday, August 4. Sexual abuse of a child under 12 years of age is a class B felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison for a first time offense.

Pressure Continues to Add Kincora Boys' Home to Child Sex Abuse Inquiry

First Minister Peter Robinson has said that child sex abuse at Kincora boys' home is a "national scandal" that needs to be fully investigated. The Kincora Boys' Home was located in east Belfast, Northern Ireland.

He said he has written to the prime minister to urge that the east Belfast home is included in the ongoing Westminister child sex abuse inquiry.

First Minister of Northern Ireland and Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party
Peter Robinson

Robinson adds a powerful voice to the many who have been calling for the inclusion of Kincora to the Westminster inquiry.

Earlier, a former Army intelligence officer said he was ordered to stop investigations into the home in 1975.

In 1981, three senior care staff at the home were jailed for abusing 11 boys.

Brian Gemmell said he presented a report on claims of abuse at the home to a senior MI5 officer but was told to stop his investigation.

It has been claimed that people of the "highest profile" were connected to abuse at the home.

Private Eye magazine alleges that high-ranking members of the Whitehall Civil Service and senior officers of the British military were involved in the sexual abuse of boys in Kincora. Whitehall is the administrative centre of the Government of the United Kingdom.

Earlier this month, another former Army officer, Colin Wallace, said any new investigation of Kincora must have access to information from intelligence agencies. Unless, of course, those files all happen to disappear.

Mr Wallace said he received intelligence in 1973 to say that boys were being abused, but claims some of his superiors refused to pass on the information.

Mr Robinson said that the allegations of a cover-up "need to be investigated".

"There are questions that have to be answered," he said.

"Because at the bottom of all this, and I've met some of the individuals concerned, we're talking about young boys who were put into the care of the state and we are now being told that there were agencies of the state who were aware of it and did nothing.

"That is the most serious allegation that can be made, particularly when you see just how much it has ruined the lives of so many people."

Kincoras Boys Home 1982

"I hope to see him over the weekend at some events. Again, I will prompt him on the issue because I think it is one that is important, that the prime minister of our country gives a very clear steer that something has to be done."

Mr Robinson said any investigation would require full access to information from intelligence agencies.

"I think there has to be complete freedom on the part of those who want to give evidence to be able to do so.

"I don't think anybody is asking them to divulge national secrets, but this is a national scandal that needs to be dealt with and I trust that whatever steps are taken to ensure that the truth comes out are taken."

"The extent to which there is an avoidance of that kind of thorough investigation adds at least circumstantially to the case that there is something to hide," he said.

"If there is nothing to hide, why would anybody fear opening the books?"

"Let's see exactly what has happened, whether the person at the heart of the Kincora scandal was indeed on the payroll of MI5, whether their handlers were aware of what was going on; why they chose, if that is the case, not to do anything about it and leave vulnerable boys in that situation.

"In some cases it goes beyond rumours," he said. "Again, you get down to what might be regarded as circumstantial evidence, but people did take their lives after being questioned by police on these issues.

"I've heard the rumours, I've read some of the documentation in relation to it and there is certainly a prima facie case that would merit an investigation."

Southbank Int'l School's Poor Procedures Enabled Wm. Vahey to Molest 50-60 Boys

A London school failed to deal with concerns raised about a convicted paedophile who drugged and abused boys in his care, a report has found.

An independent review found the Southbank International School did not properly record reports of William Vahey's behaviour.

Vahey

Vahey, 64, taught at the school from 2009 until last year.

The school's owners Cognita said it would be "inappropriate" to comment during a police investigation.

Vahey was convicted over a child sex offence in California in 1969.

The teacher, believed to have abused children at other schools, killed himself two days after police in the US filed a warrant to search a computer drive belonging to him containing indecent images of at least 90 boys aged from 12 to 14, who appeared to be drugged and unconscious.

Images of between 50 and 60 students at Southbank were found on the drive, but many parents at the school have said they do not want to be informed of any details relating to possible offences against their children. Is this the right thing to do? Is that what you would do? What happens when your child gets a little older and finds out what Vahey did, and remembers being in an hotel room with him? At some point they are going to have to deal with it; not necessarily now, but at some point.

The report on the independent review by Hugh Davies QC also found the school breached statutory guidelines when it hired the teacher as it did not take any references before offering him a job in 2009.

He had been interviewed by only one person, the then principal, Terry Hedger, the review found.

Mr Davies said the teacher was "an accomplished and sophisticated criminal", able to "exploit weaknesses" in the reporting of his behaviour.

"Had what was reported within the school about Vahey's conduct... been appropriately recorded and evaluated, the pattern of conduct would have required direct intervention by the school," the barrister said.

Southbank International School, Central London
Vahey taught here from 2009 to last year

Sir Chris Woodhead, chairman of the school's board and the former chief inspector of schools, said: "Mr Davies' report makes very helpful recommendations on how safeguarding at Southbank International School can be improved yet further."

The second stage of Mr Davies' inquiry would consider the recruitment procedure when Vahey was hired and how incidents concerning his behaviour were reported, Sir Chris added.

The school's owner Cognita, which initiated the report, said some of the recommendations had already been implemented.

In a statement, Cognita said: "It would be inappropriate to give specific comment at this stage as the police investigation of William Vahey is still under way and these are interim findings."

Rolf Harris Attempts to Appeal His Convictions for Indecent Assault on Children

Entertainer Rolf Harris has applied for permission to appeal against his conviction for indecent assaults, a spokesman for the Judicial Office says.

Harris, 84, was jailed in July for five years and nine months for 12 indecent assaults on four girls aged between seven or eight and 19.

The Judicial Office said his lawyers had lodged papers at the Court of Appeal.

A judge will now decide if his appeal bid should progress to a full hearing.

Rolf Harris

On Wednesday, Attorney General Jeremy Wright decided not to refer Harris's sentence to the Court of Appeal despite 150 complaints over its "leniency".

Mr Wright said he did not think judges would find it to be unduly lenient and increase it.

Harris, an artist, TV presenter and musician, was found guilty of all 12 indecent assaults of which he was accused in his trial at Southwark Crown Court in London.

His victims included a young autograph hunter, two girls in their early teens and a friend of his daughter's against whom he committed a catalogue of abuse over several years.

The offences took place between 1968 and 1986.

Harris has been stripped of a Bafta fellowship and accolades in his native Australia. He also faces losing his CBE (Order of the British Empire).

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police has confirmed it has received "a number of allegations" about Harris since his conviction, which are being investigated. I'm thinking Harris should keep his head down, take his medicine, and maybe the police won't add anymore charges. The more noise he makes - the greater likelihood of them pressing more charges.

The BBC's home affairs correspondent, Danny Shaw, said it was unlikely that Harris's application for permission to appeal would be dealt with in the next few weeks.

"We are looking at a possible decision or possible hearing in the autumn," he said.