Rolf abuse tale ‘for cash’

A WOMAN who alleged she was sexually assaulted as a 15-year-old by Rolf Harris made the story up because she was in debt and needed to make "blood money" by selling her story, a London court has heard.

Aspiring theatre performer and child TV actor Tonya Lee had told Southwark Crown Court she was in London on a tour with a Sydney Theatre Company in 1986 when Harris, dining with the group, allegedly assaulted her.

She claims he ran his hand up her skirt after he asked her to sit on his lap and later when she came out of a toilet put his hands down her pants and penetrated her.

But cross examining the 43-year-old, Harris' lawyer Sonia Woodley QC put it to her she was unemployed, with three children and in debt to the Australian Tax Office as well as a laptop hiring company.

Ms Woodley said the debt to the ATO alone was $10,000, although Ms Lee said it was closer to $3000.

She then asked her if it was true she broke up with her partner of seven years Fian McDaid because he found out she was lying to Women's Day who had paid her $20,000 for her "spiced up" Harris assault story.

Ms Lee's voice cracked as she emotionally told the court that the couple broke up because he had allegedly bashed her as she tried to leave him, an assault for which she said he was subsequently charged and later jailed for three months.

She said her partner had been threatening to discredit her and her Harris assault claim if she did not drop her assault allegations against him.

She denied wanting to sell her story telling the court the contracting of celebrity publicist Max Markson was Mr McDaid's idea and she had never been motivated by money although she later accused Mr Markson of having "stolen" from her by not paying her the agreed sum for the story, which in total was $66,000 including tax.

"That was blood money, that's not money for frivolity or fun … I was not trying to make a quick buck," she said.

Initially Ms Lee had told the court she developed an eating disorder during the UK tour and lost significant weight after being assaulted by Harris the night the group had arrived in the UK.

But she later agreed that may have been wrong after Ms Woodley revealed the Harris dinner at the pub where the alleged assaults were supposed to have occurred was at the end of the trip not the start and the weight loss was suffered by other members of the troupe due to the distaste of the perceived poor quality of British food.

Ms Lee, who was once selected from 200 other young teenagers to star in a pilot TV program for the ABC in late 1986, said while she may have been wrong on the timeline the alleged assaults by Harris which she had detailed were accurate.

Ms Woodley raised numerous other alleged inconsistencies with Ms Lee's account during the lengthy cross examination including allegedly lying to police as to why she went to the media with her allegations before going to them.

Harris has pleaded not guilty to 12 charges of indecent assault.

The case continues.

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