Disgraced entertainer Rolf Harris is under investigation by police and probation officials after it was revealed he had entered the grounds of a primary school and waved at pupils.
The 88-year-old, who was released from prison on licence in May 2017 after serving three years for indecent assaults on children, was spotted at Oldfield Primary School, near his home in Maidenhead, on Tuesday afternoon.
A photo taken by a passer-by appears to show Harris inside the perimeter fence of the school, with children visible in a classroom behind him.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Latest Videos FromThe Week
The convicted child molester “was seen waving at children before the headteacher told him to leave”, reports the Daily Mirror, which broke the story.
Headteacher Richard Jarrett told the newspaper that Harris was talking to a sculptor working inside the grounds of the school.
“He must have seen him and come into the school area,” Jarrett said. “He explained what he was doing - that he was getting some wood from the sculptor. I said, ‘You need to go.’”
He stressed that Harris left when asked and “had no access to the children whatsoever” during his brief foray onto the school grounds.
The school said that the incident had been reported to Thames Valley Police “as a precaution”.
Police confirmed that school officials contacted them at 3.15pm on Tuesday. “An officer attended the scene but no offence was committed. No arrests were made,” the force said in a statement.
A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman told Sky News that the department was “looking into” whether the incident constituted a breach of Harris’ licence conditions as a released sex offender, and would take “appropriate action”.
