Rolf Harris trial jury given majority verdicts direction

The jury in the trial of TV entertainer Rolf Harris has been told it can return majority verdicts.

Judge Alistair McCreath told the seven women and five men, who have been deliberating over the 86-year-old Australian's fate for almost a week, that he would accept majority decisions on the counts if they could not reach them unanimously.

Harris faces six counts of indecent assault and one count of sexual assault, allegedly taking place between 1971 and 2004 when Harris was aged between 41 and 74.

It was in his nature to grope women, including young girls, in public places, the prosecution argued, saying he had been good at getting away with it for years.

Harris denies the latest charges, and maintains his innocence regarding the 12 counts of indecent assault he was convicted of in 2014.

The jury in the first trial "got it wrong", his lawyer, Stephen Vullo QC, told London's Southwark Crown Court.

The pensioner declined to give evidence at his second trial, instead silently watching proceedings first on video from Stafford prison and then later from the dock with a hearing loop.