Rolf begins appeal on two of his convictions

Private ’tecs sift ‘mountain’ of proof

Harris is being supported by his loyal wife Alwen, 86, and their daughter Bindi, 53, who both attended every day of his original trial.

Following his conviction he was stripped of a string of honours including a CBE he was awarded by the Queen.

It is understood he is now required to attend parole board meetings and sex offenders’ courses as well as reporting his movements to police.

His chief private investigator William Merritt has led a four-man team for more than two years to scrutinise his convictions. They have studied times, dates, places and other facts relating to his offences, finding what Harris believes is “compelling evidence” to clear his name.

Mr Merritt’s investigative work has already led to the shamed star being cleared of seven separate sex offences at a second trial earlier this year.

Asked if he believed Harris was innocent, he said: “Yes, and I can prove that.”

Mr Merritt also believes Operation Yewtree, set up to investigate historic claims of sex abuse by celebrities following the Jimmy Savile scandal, was a “witchhunt”.

He said: “People were swept along. The standard of the evidence was very low.

“Someone was pulling the strings upstairs and telling them they must get convictions.”

The former New Zealand police detective, dad to three daughters, added: “I have no time for sexual predators.

“But I decided to work with Rolf Harris after I spent about an hour and a half looking through the evidence.”

patrick.hill@trinitymirror.co.uk

I decided to work with him after I studied the evidence for 90 minutes WILLIAM MERRITT CHIEF OF INVESTIGATORS’ TEAM