About a month or so ago now, the Metropolitan Police in Britain questioned a man as part of "Operation Yewtree", the police investigation into the Jimmy Savile abuse scandal. The recent Levison inquiry into journalism has prevented mainstream media (including press releases) from revealing names in specific cases, so social media has been guessing as to who "Yewtree 5" is.
British newspapers eventually revealed the person as an Australian entertainer. When this got back to Australia, media sources reported it widely but only referred to the person as a "prominent 60's entertainer", with some revealing his age (82 years old). More info on this can be found by clicking here.
Some small-time social media bloggers quickly deduced that Rolf Harris was the person who The Met were referring to. After all, he is Australian, has just turned 83, has been in the British entertainment industry for some amount of time and, like Savile, seems an unlikely sexual perpetrator.
First, this person who is allegedly Rolf hasn't been charged. Second, no one in the Metropolitan Police is suggesting that he has taken part in a sexual assault. While the Savile case is in the public interest, it is worth noting these two facts before anybody draws conclusions about Rolf Harris, whether he is the perpetrator of a crime or not.
The point is, don't believe everything you read on social media. "Yewtree 5" might not be innocent, but he or she is until they are proven guilty.
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