Sex trial star's art a huge hit at Shrewsbury auction

The prints of work by Rolf Harris attracted much attention at Halls at Shrewsbury.

While the 84-year-old entertainer was giving evidence in the dock, defending his name against allegations he assaulted girls over an 18-year-period, bidders were busy attempting to claim the paintings.

The two limited edition prints were previously valued at between £40 and £60 - but were snapped up yesterday for £340 and £360 respectively.

The two copies depict a still life and Durham cathedral, and bear the entertainer's signature.

Jeremy Lamond, of Halls, said the results were surprising, after the prints failed to sell at a previous auction last week.

It is not known whether Harris's appearance in the dock this week heightened interest in the sale.

The prints were sold in a toys and interiors auction, and are not even the original paintings.

Mr Lamond said: "They did not sell at an auction of Asian and contemporary art then went for a lot more then originally first thought."

Harris, 84, faces 12 counts of indecent assault on four alleged victims between 1968 and 1986, all of which he denies.

Seven of the counts relate to his daughter's friend, who claimed he carried out a string of results over a number of years.

Harris yesterday admitted to the court that he admired the 13-year-old while on holiday.

He conceded that when he complimented the teenager on her bikini during the holiday in the 1970s, he was actually referring to her body.

Harris, who was cross-examined by prosecutor Sasha Wass QC during his second day in the witness box at his indecent assault trial, also admitted having a "darker side" alongside his public persona.

Harris, who wore a dark suit and red tie and was supported in the public gallery by wife Alwen and other family members, sat in the witness box as he admitted that he might have complimented the girl's bikini on holiday when she was 13.

Ms Wass asked: "Do you accept that when a man tells a woman or a girl that they look lovely in a bikini, they are not actually admiring the clothing, but they are admiring the person's body?"

Harris replied: "Possibly."

Referring to his behaviour on the trip, when the girl has claimed he indecently assaulted her several times, Ms Wass suggested Harris "played with her like she was a toy".

He said: "I would never do that."

Earlier, Harris said he knew that touching a 13-year-old was a criminal offence, but denied anything had happened.

As she began cross-examining the veteran star - who described his guilt yesterday at "betraying everyone" with the affair - Ms Wass described him as a "polished performer", saying: "You're pretty good Mr Harris aren't you at disguising that dark side of your character", to which he replied: "Yes".

The prosecutor said: "This case is to decide whether underneath your friendly and loveable exterior there's a darker side lurking.

"The issue we really have to fathom from this court is how dark that dark side really is."

Harris won support yesterday from a man calling himself the "king of pantomime", who described him as a consummate professional who never did anything inappropriate when they worked on the stage together.

Theatre producer Paul Elliott said the entertainer and artist starred in many of his productions up and down the country in the 1980s and 90s and he would have been aware if there had ever been any complaints about him.

Asked by Harris's defence counsel, Sonia Woodley QC, whether he ever did anything to cause him concern when interacting with the child or young adult performers in his shows, Mr Elliott replied: "Absolutely not."

And questioned whether the Australian ever demonstrated any behaviour that caused he himself concern, he answered: "No."

Asked to describe the entertainer to the court, Mr Elliott said: "Rolf is funny. He's warm. He's jolly. He's an incredibly hard worker.

"He's a good friend to have. He's always there when you need him. He's done several things for me where he's gone above and beyond the call of duty."