Rolf Harris's Perth plaque pilfered

A Perth footpath plaque commemorating and laid by "Boy from Bassendean" Rolf Harris has been stolen.

Rolf Harris leaves the Southwark Crown Court in London

Entertainer Rolf Harris has been stripped of a special status in the Perth suburb where he was born. (AAP)

A bicentennial footpath plaque laid by Rolf Harris in his home suburb of Bassendean has been stolen.

The mayor of the Perth suburb, John Gangell, said the thief might have believed the council was going to throw it away after deciding at a special meeting on Thursday night to remove it and store it.

Mr Gangell said police had been contacted.

"Obviously, it's very disappointing," he told AAP.

"Clearly, someone thought it was better to keep it as a momento.

"The Town of Bassendean was never going to destroy it. We were just going to put it into storage."

The plaque was sprayed over with the word "pedo" this week after Harris was convicted in London of child sex offences.

At the meeting on Thursday, Town of Bassendean councillors also unanimously voted in favour of stripping Harris of his freeman status.

They also agreed to place his paintings in storage.

Mr Gangell said storage was appropriate given future councils could take a different view of the items.

"We didn't want to destroy or sell the pieces," he said.

"We weren't trying to erase history, but what we have done is send a message saying regardless of what status you once enjoyed in our town, if you're convicted of such heinous crimes, it simply won't be tolerated.

"We're very keen to send a quick and clear message about our position."

Mr Gangell said it had been a tough week for Bassendean.

Harris, known as "The Boy from Bassendean", is expected to be jailed when he is sentenced in London on Friday.


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