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Rolf Harris cornered teenager by pub toilet and groped her, court hears Rolf Harris cornered teenager by pub toilet and groped her, court hears
(about 5 hours later)
Rolf Harris indecently assaulted a teenage member of a youth theatre group who had just arrived in London, cornering her by a pub toilet to grope her and leaving the 15-year-old "gobsmacked", a court has heard. A woman developed eating disorders after being indecently assaulted as a teenager in a pub by Rolf Harris, she told a court, saying: "I thought maybe if I was really skinny no one would touch me."
"I was panicked, I couldn't believe what had happened," the alleged victim, Tonya Lee, told Southwark crown court. "I felt disgusting. I didn't know who I could talk to." The alleged victim said she was cornered and groped by the entertainer and artist when she was 15, on her first night in the UK with an Australian youth theatre group. She said the alleged attack left her feeling disgusting and "a shell".
Lee, who has formally waived the right to anonymity granted to victims of alleged sexual attacks during court cases, said the incident happened on the evening she had arrived in the UK with her Australian theatre group in 1986. Tonya Lee, who waived the right to anonymity granted to victims of alleged sex attacks, said the fact she sold her story to Australian media last year for more than £30,000 did not undermine its truth. She said the TV and magazine deal was "a huge mistake" pushed by her greedy ex-partner.
Lee said Harris's actions left her "a shell, a bit of an empty vessel" for the rest of the tour. "I just went though the motions," she said. "I always had a smile on my face, pretending things were OK." Lee told Southwark crown court in London that she stopped eating immediately after the alleged assault in 1986 and developed a long-term eating disorder. She said the alleged incident robbed her of an ambition to forge a career in theatre. "It just wasn't there any more. I'd lost that passion. I'd lost that desire," she said. "I felt like I didn't have a place in the world."
Answering questions from Sasha Wass QC, prosecuting, Lee said she stopped eating and developed forms of anorexia and bulimia. "I thought maybe if I was really skinny no one would touch me," she said. Answering questions from Sasha Wass QC, prosecuting, Lee said Harris met the Sydney-based theatre group in a London pub on the evening of their arrival for a UK tour, as he was a friend of the artistic director. After Lee sang a song Harris praised her voice, invited her to sit on his lap and initially appeared charming.
In the longer term, Lee told the court, her school work suffered and she gave up her previous ambition of a career in entertainment. "It just wasn't there any more. I'd lost that passion. I'd lost that desire," she said. "I felt like I didn't have a place in the world." Then, Lee said, things changed: "I started to feel that there was some movement happening beneath me. He was moving back and forth, sort of rubbing against me, his crotch, that area."
Describing the start of the UK tour, Lee said Harris, a friend of the Sydney-based group's leader, had met them at Heathrow airport and was there again when they ate that evening in a pub. As Harris chatted with others as if nothing was happening, Lee said, he moved his hands on to her thigh and up to her groin. She said: I was panicky and I was wondering what to do, how to get out of this. And I was confused. The whole time this was happening, normal interactions were going on."
After hearing her sing, she said, Harris started talking to her, complimenting her on her voice and directing her to sit on his lap. The TV star was friendly and she was initially comfortable chatting. Then, she said, things changed: "I started to feel that there was some movement happening beneath me. He was moving back and forth, sort of rubbing against me, his crotch, that area." Lee said she escaped to the toilet but emerged to find Harris standing outside the door. He gave her "a big bear hug", pinning her between a wall and a pot plant, then put his hand down her top and inside her tights and underwear.
Lee said Harris acted as if nothing was happening, chatting normally, but then moved his hands on to her thigh, which was hidden by a table and her coat, and up to her groin. "I started to panic. I was panicky and I was wondering what to do, how to get out of this. And I was confused. The whole time this was happening, normal interactions were going on," she said.
Lee said she escaped to the toilet, but emerged to find Harris standing outside the door. He engaged her in conversation and gave her "a big bear hug", pinning her between a wall and a pot plant.
"I felt very uncomfortable and scared at that point," she said. "I didn't know what was going on. I couldn't understand why he was trapping me there."
Lee said Harris then put his hand into her top, squeezing her breast, and then into her tights and underwear.
"I was gobsmacked," she said. "I was shocked. I was completely in disbelief. I almost thought it didn't happen, in a way, and I couldn't believe that it had.""I was gobsmacked," she said. "I was shocked. I was completely in disbelief. I almost thought it didn't happen, in a way, and I couldn't believe that it had."
After the brief assault, Lee said Harris gave her another hug and walked away, saying something like: "Have a really good trip in the UK." Lee said she felt shocked and revolted but unable to tell others, given it was the first day of a much-anticipated national tour and the group was led by Harris's friend. "I felt that if I said anything people would hate me, people would blame me. I felt people wouldn't believe me. It was Rolf Harris," she said.
Lee said she felt disgusting but unable to tell others, given it was the first day of a much-anticipated national tour and the group was led by Harris's friend. "I felt that if I said anything people would hate me, people would blame me. I felt people wouldn't believe me. It was Rolf Harris," she said. She stopped eating on the tour, Lee said, in part because she hoped it would restrict the growth of her breasts and make her less likely to be assaulted again. Lee told the court she had serious anorexia and bulimia for many years afterwards, later also becomingand became an alcoholic.
Harris, 84, who lives in Bray, Berkshire, denies 12 counts of indecent assault dating from 1969 to 1986, three of which relate to the alleged assault on Lee. Lee agreed she sold her story to an Australian media group for A$60,000 and initially lied to British police about her plans to do so, but said she was pressured into this by her now ex-partner, describing him as "extremely persistent, quite aggressive, very dominating, very, very money-focused".
Under cross-examination from Sonia Woodley QC, defending Harris, Lee denied exaggerating her story for the media but said she wished she had not made the deal, realising only later "how much I risked my opportunity to be in this court today".
She said: "Not in a million years did I think I would get a chance to sit here in a courtroom in England and say what happened. The money is a huge regret, a huge mistake. I fully, fully take responsibility for that. It's brought me no joy... Money can't fix those kind of things." Harris, 84, who lives in Bray, Berkshire, denies 12 counts of indecent assault dating from 1969 to 1986, three of which relate to the alleged assault on Lee.
The trial continues.The trial continues.