A seasoned London correspondent for the Melbourne radio show, Breakfast with Ross and Russel, has made headlines for his unexpectedly positive take on the legacy of the late Rolf Harris.
In stark contrast to the media outlets around the world, Malcolm Stewart’s comments seemed to deviate significantly from the story.
MailOnline revealed on Tuesday that disgraced Australian star Rolf had died aged 93 after a battle with neck cancer.
The sex offender has already been ‘laid to rest’ after a secret burial.
As media around the world labeled Harris “disgraced,” Malcolm’s stance on the matter took a shockingly more optimistic stance, reports The Australian.
Breakfast with Ross and Russel’s seasoned London correspondent Malcolm Stewart (pictured) has made headlines for his unexpectedly positive take on the legacy of the late Rolf Harris
In stark contrast to the media outlets around the world, Stewart’s comments seemed to deviate significantly from the story
During his usual morning segment, hours after Harris’s death was announced, Stewart commented that despite Harris’ demise, the audience would likely remember him fondly.
Stewart’s opinion immediately surprised Stevenson, leaving him audibly baffled on the air.
‘Sorry! I’m surprised,” Stevenson replied. This unexpected exchange was subsequently removed from that day’s podcast.
During his usual morning segment, hours after Harris’s death was announced, Stewart commented that despite Harris’ demise, the audience would likely remember him fondly. Hosts Ross Stevenson and Russel Howcroft (pictured) were unimpressed
After the 7 a.m. news, Stevenson discussed the matter again, maintaining a more stern tone for Stewart’s comments.
“We’d like to revisit something from the last hour,” Stevenson began, expressing the radio team’s surprise at Stewart’s position.
He continued, “Malcolm Stewart’s comments about Rolf Harris’s legacy surprised us here because we clearly don’t know what Malcolm is going to say.”
Stevenson then strenuously claimed that Stewart’s perception of Harris’s legacy does not match the feelings of anyone else he knows.
MailOnline revealed on Tuesday that disgraced Australian star Rolf had died aged 93 after a battle with neck cancer. The sex offender has already been ‘laid to rest’ after a secret burial
On May 11, a private ambulance was photographed outside his riverside home in the UK. Two sources close to the family told MailOnline he died up to two weeks ago, but his death was not registered with Windsor and Maidenhead Council until Tuesday.
The disgraced TV star had been ‘very ill’ with neck cancer since leaving prison six years ago, living as a near recluse with his wife in their £5 million riverside mansion in Bray.
In a statement from his lawyer, his family said: ‘Rolf Harris recently passed away peacefully surrounded by family and friends and is now buried. They ask you to respect their privacy. No further comment will be made.”
Harris struggled to speak after cancerous tumors grew on his neck after being released from prison in 2017 for a series of sex offenses including children as young as eight. He was tube fed before his death.
The Australian-born TV presenter was a family favorite for decades before being convicted of a series of assault charges in June 2014.
He is survived by his grandson Marlon, 25, daughter Bindi, 59, and wife Alwen, 91, a jeweler and sculptor. She is confined to a wheelchair due to Alzheimer’s disease, but the couple, who married in 1958, lived together with the help of round-the-clock care.
Private investigator, author and former police officer William Merritt, author of the book Rolf Harris: The Truth behind the Trials, told MailOnline that he had last met him in late 2022 and that he was seriously ill. He said, “Rolf has been very ill. When I saw him, he could talk to me. He was there, but he was clearly unwell’.
The Australian-born TV presenter was a family favorite for decades before being convicted of a series of assault charges in June 2014.
Two sources close to the family told MailOnline he died up to two weeks ago, but his death was not registered with Windsor and Maidenhead Council until Tuesday.
These include one about an eight-year-old signature hunter, two about girls in their early teens, and a catalog of abuse against his daughter’s boyfriend of over 16. He was jailed for five years and nine months after being convicted of 12 sexual assaults between 1968 and 1986.
He was paroled in May 2017 after serving three years behind bars.
Of the 12 convictions, one was overturned on appeal in November 2017, and a jury chose not to convict him in two other cases in the same year.
Best known for hits Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport and Jake The Peg, as well as a string of children’s TV hits, Harris also famously painted the 80th birthday portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Harris had not spoken publicly since his release from prison in 2017, but he issued a statement in Mr. Merritt’s recently released book Rolf Harris: The Defense Team’s Special Investigator Reveals the Truth Behind the Trials.
“I understand that we live in the post-truth era and know that few will want to know what really happened during the three criminal trials I underwent – it’s easier to judge me and compare me to people like Saville and Glitter,” Harris said.
“I was convicted of crimes I did not commit in my first trial. That is not just my opinion, but the opinion of the Court of Appeal that overturned one of my convictions. I had already served the prison sentence at the time of the appeal.
“I changed my legal team after the first trial, and I was told if the truth was out there, William (Merritt) would find it and he did.
“The evidence he found proved my innocence before two successive juries.
“I would be in jail serving a sentence for crimes I didn’t commit if it weren’t for William’s investigation.
“The injustice I feel is hard to put into words.”
Best known for hits Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport and Jake The Peg, as well as a string of children’s TV hits, Harris also famously painted the 80th birthday portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II. Pictured with the Queen and Kylie Minogue in London in 2012