Retired Solicitor Guilty of Sexual Assault Against Clients

A former criminal defence solicitor based in Plymouth, Alan Harris, has been convicted of committing sexual offences against his own clients this month.  Harris was found guilty of five counts of indecent assault and three counts of sexual assault. This represents a fundamental breach of the trust individuals place in their solicitor and, while such incidents are rare, it is important to recognise the seriousness of Harris’ actions. 

Over a period of decades, from the late 1980s to 2015, Harris sexually abused a number of men and at least one woman, with assaults taking place in police custody cells, court buildings and even his own car. These are all settings where clients of a solicitor are entitled to feel safe and protected, but Harris abused the trust placed in him to his own advantage. 

Many of the survivors of Harris’ actions were teenagers at the time who relied upon the now-retired solicitor to defend their rights while under investigation or even when detained in the cells below Plymouth Magistrates Court. 

During the trial earlier this month, the jury heard how the solicitor kissed and inappropriately touched several of his clients, which he appeared to frame as a ‘pre-arranged’ method of calming or controlling the individual in a moment of distress. Harris’ actions may have attempted to blur the boundaries between professional and inappropriate conduct under the guise of care, expertise and authority. 

This makes the severity of Harris’ actions and the abuse of his position clear. For the clients involved, challenging such behaviours must have felt almost impossible. Although a police investigation in Harris’ actions was launched into Harris’ actions in 2015, he was not charged until 2024. 

Many of his clients did not feel able to report the offences at the time they occurred, fearing they would not be believed by the criminal justice system or that their youth and, in some cases, substance use may be used to discredit their claims. When asked why they did not come forward immediately after being assaulted, one of the survivors of Harris’ actions told the jury ‘Who’s going to believe me - he’s a solicitor, I’m a heroin addict and a criminal’. 

As a solicitor, he was trusted to act in his client’s best interests and to uphold their rights to the best of his professional ability. To instead exploit and abuse this position, often when alone with his clients, could only do further harm to the limited trust many individuals have in the legal profession. 

It is important to stress that the actions of Alan Harris are a rare and isolated example of an individual exploiting the trust placed in them, acting far outside of either professional or legal boundaries. Here at Jordans, we represent a number of individuals who have experienced and survived abuse by a figure in authority. It takes enormous courage to report an incident of abuse, and to do so deserves nothing less than tremendous respect. 

We therefore wish to echo the words of the judge, handing down Harris’ sentencing, to encourage anyone who has been in this situation to come forward.