Former Criminal Defence Solicitor Sentenced for Sexual Assaults
A former criminal defence solicitor has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after being found guilty of sexually assaulting seven of his clients.
Alan Harris, 72, of Thorn Park, Plymouth, described by a victim as a "monster" who preyed on the "scared and desperate", committed the offences between 1988 and 2015, mainly during private legal consultations at Plymouth Magistrates' Court and Charles Cross Police station in the city.
Harris was convicted in December of five counts of indecent assault and five sexual assaults against six men and one woman who were mainly teenagers at the time.
Winchester Crown Court heard his victims, one of whom was 14, were all extremely vulnerable and they thought no-one would ever believe them.
Harris made his clients perform sexual acts on him while he touched them in a sexual manner and also sexually assaulted one male in his car, the court was told.
The jury heard Harris's victims were caught between objecting to his assaults and knowing he could help them stay out of jail.
The victims, none of whom can be named, also believed that because of their age and backgrounds, they would not be believed. Some had mental health or substance misuse issues.
'Gross breach of trust'
Judge Angela Morris said one of Harris's victims had been abused by a paedophile gang including William Goad who was jailed for life in 2004 for sexual offences over a 35-year period.
"He was taking drugs to anaesthetise himself from the abuse," said the judge.
"And he was sexually abused by you the first time you met him.
"He had confided to you about rape and sexual abuse from the time he was 13 so when you exploited this person for your own sexual gratification you compounded the trauma and fear and he felt powerless to stop you.
"It was a gross breach of trust of the most serious kind."
She said all the victims had "placed their trust in you".
"You were the one person on whom they should have been able to rely," she said.
"In many cases, victims were under the influence of drugs or coming down off drugs, so were desperate to be released from custody as soon as possible.
"They were exactly the sort of people who would not complain, so they were easy targets."
Harris made no reaction as he was led away from the dock.
One male victim, struggling to hold back tears, told Harris in court:
"You abused me at my most vulnerable, at a time when I was supposed to trust you.
"I was scared and desperate. You knew that, and you preyed on me. No one would have believed me. Who would have believed me over you?
"Our parents never knew what you did to us, you monster."
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