Retired solicitor from Plymouth jailed after sexually assaulting clients
Alan Harris has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for assaults spanning 27 years
Last updated 14 hours ago
A retired solicitor from Plymouth has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for sexually assaulting his clients over a 27-year period.
Alan Harris, 72, committed the majority of his offences during private legal consultations at Plymouth Magistrates' Court and Charles Cross Police Station in Devon.
Most of his victims were under arrest of in custody.
Following a five-week trial at Winchester Crown Court, Harris was convicted of 10 offences against six men and one woman.
The court found him guilty of five indecent assaults and five sexual assaults, relating to incidents between 1988 and 2015.
During sentencing at Winchester Crown Court today (February 25th) Judge Angela Morris, said despite Harris' outward appearance as a "thoroughly respectable" man with high regard in the community, "there was a darker side to your character".
She said: "There is no greater fall from grace than this.
"All of them had in common they had placed their trust in you as their lawyer."
She added: "They relied upon you as their legal adviser to help them when they were in difficult circumstances.
"In some cases they were still under influence of drugs or alcohol when you sexually abused them.
"All many wanted (was) for them to secure their release as soon as possible."
During the sentencing hearing, which began on Tuesday the court heard from victims who spoke of the lasting impact of Harris's actions.
One man said the abuse would "forever haunt" him, describing himself as "young, scared, and vulnerable".
One victim spoke directly to Harris as he recounted the impact of the abuse on his life, at a time when he had trusted the solicitor.
"I will never understand or be able to accept your behaviour," he told Harris.
"Your actions will forever haunt me and will remain with me to the grave.
"I was young, I was scared and vulnerable. I was locked in a cell with no escape."
He added: "Your reputation lies in tatters and any good work you did is now tarnished."
A second victim told the court how the actions of Harris were a contributing factor to his heroin addiction.
"I was happy when I heard the verdict that I had been believed after all this time," he said.
A third victim, who read his victim personal statement to the court, described the lasting impact of Harris's abuse.
He told Harris: "There is no peace for me. There never will be.
"You will always be in my head. You will always be in my nightmares."
Prosecuting, Anne Whyte KC read statements on behalf of other victims in the case.
One, directed at Harris, described how he was the only person who could have helped him but "you abused your position".
"You are vile," he said.
Another victim described being touched by Harris without their consent and saying "no" but he "took no notice".
"He touched me because he felt he had the right and the power to do so," they said.
"I was frozen to the ground in shock and used my voice to say 'no' but he took no notice.
"Whatever sentence Alan Harris receives, it will never be enough for how he has made me feel.
"Whatever his sentence is, I hope it is nothing less than hell because he deserves no more than that."
Christine Agnew KC, representing Harris, said on Tuesday her client does not agree with the jury's guilty verdicts but accepts them.
Describing his career, she told the court that the father-of-two had a "very loyal following".
"He helped out hundreds if not thousands of clients over the years," she said.
"He had many clients who returned to him because of the service provided.
"His fall from grace is a mighty one. He did enjoy extremely good standing in his local community.
"He will find it particularly difficult to serve a custodial sentence."
Harris retired from practicing as a solicitor in 2016.