Former Plymouth solicitor on trial accused of sex assaults and rape in police and court cells
Alan Harris, now aged 71, is on trial at Winchester Crown Court
A former criminal defence solicitor from Plymouth is accused of charges of sexual assault and rape against eight men and a woman in the cells of a police station and a magistrates' court, a court has heard.
Alan Harris, now aged 71, is on trial at Winchester Crown Court accused of 18 charges of indecent assault, eight charges of sexual assault, three charges of rape and one of buggery dating between 1989 and 2015.
Anne Whyte KC, prosecuting, told the jury that the alleged offences took place in the cells at Charles Cross police station in Plymouth and at Plymouth Magistrates' Court.
She said that Harris's job as a defence solicitor "brought him into contact daily with people, hundreds of them over the years, who were charged with or suspected of criminal offences".
Ms Whyte added: "It was his job to represent them, it was his job to ensure whatever they had done, they were treated fairly in the criminal justice system.
"It was his job to get the best possible outcome for them, instead he used his professional access to his clients as the opportunity to sexually abuse them, often in plain sight, safe in the knowledge that due to their particular circumstances, they were often impotent to do anything about it or report him at the time."
Ms Whyte said the custody cells were "places that are designed to deal with criminal offences, not to facilitate them".
She said many of the complainants were "already institutionalised" in a life of crime and were "utterly dependent" on Harris.
Ms Whyte added: "These individuals were in no position, realistically, to complain about what he was doing - to the custody sergeant, to the judge, who were they going to complain to in a police station or court?
"How were they going to say they had just been raped by a solicitor?"
She said Harris had told one of the complainants that they "owed him favours" and they had been "too frightened" to make a complaint against him and afraid of being seen as a "nonce" if sent to prison.
Harris, from Plymouth, Devon, denies the 30 charges and the trial continues.