For nearly six months, the identity of Australian entertainer Rolf Harris as a target for British police investigating sex abuse allegations has been a poorly guarded secret. His home in Berkshire, west of London, was raided by Scotland Yard detectives in November. Five days later, he was interviewed by appointment, but under caution, at a south London police station. In the absence of any formal allegations or charges, major news outlets reported the explosive developments without naming him, referring only to "an 83-year-old Australian entertainer". Notwithstanding a lack of formal confirmation from police, internet bloggers and the Twitterati didn't hold back, openly linking Harris to sexual abuse claims arising from the police investigation into the late BBC star Jimmy Savile. Still the mainstream media held firm. Until Friday. Under a red banner that screamed "world exclusive", British tabloid The Sun named Harris as having been arrested over sex abuse allegations on March 28, two days before his 83rd birthday. Harris has not been charged, and is understood to vehemently deny any wrongdoing. The Sun, the sister paper to the now defunct and discredited News of the World, reported that Scotland Yard said the man from Berkshire was one of 11 people arrested so far under Operation Yewtree, set up after the allegations were made against Savile. The spokesman told the paper there were three categories of people subject to the investigation: Savile himself, people close to the presenter and "others". Harris was in the last category, which "is generally people who were in the public spotlight at around that time", the spokesman said. As The Sun's story broke, media were camped out in front of Harris' home in Bray, a picturesque town half an hour outside London. His home, ''Highlands'', backs onto the River Thames and its exterior is decorated with sculptures. Two cars were parked in the gated driveway early on Friday morning and the curtains were drawn. When the front gate intercom was rung, a sleepy-voiced Harris answered. Asked if he had any comment on The Sun's story, he replied ''no comment'' and rang off. The only sign of activity at the house was Harris' dog, who watched the gathering reporters. It is understood that most of the British media were waiting on one another to name Harris, because of heightened legal fears following the phone hacking scandal, which also looked at informal communications between police and newspapers. A well-connected media blogger, ''Guido Fawkes'', said several news rooms had confirmed the name after the first arrest last year. However, they were concerned that publishing the name could trigger a raid by police trying to identify ''leaks'' within the Metropolitan Police. The Sun said Harris was given police bail, with a date next month set for him to be interviewed again, pending further inquiries. Officially, police will not confirm the name. Since Savile's death in 2011, it has been revealed that he abused hundreds of children and women over a 54-year period. Harris, a veteran artist, musician and entertainer, has been a regular fixture on British television screens since he signed with the BBC in 1953. His musical hits include Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport, in which he played a wobble board, Jake The Peg and Two Little Boys. with Megan Levy
