LONDON (AP) — Television entertainer Rolf Harris, who for decades cultivated an image of the affectionate uncle with numerous children’s television programs, was sentenced Friday to five years and nine months in prison for a string of abuses against young girls.

Judge Nigel Sweeney told London’s Southwark Crown Court that the performer, a fixture on British and Australian screens for years, had abused the trust of millions. Ignoring the appeals of Harris’ attorney that the trial had punished him enough, Sweeney ruled that he must spend time behind bars for the 12 counts of abuse that took place from the 1960s to the 1980s.