Alan Harris has today been convicted following a six-week trial at Winchester Crown Court. Mr Harris, a former criminal defence solicitor who practised in Plymouth, was found guilty of five counts of indecent assault and five counts of sexual assault.
The offences for which Mr Harris has been convicted were committed against six men and one woman between 1989 and 2015, all of whom were former clients. The jury were told that Mr Harris had abused his position of trust by making clients perform sexual acts on him and by touching them in a sexual manner whilst in Police custody or the Magistrates’ Court cells.
The case arose out of an extensive investigation by the Major Crime Investigation Team in Plymouth. Anne Whyte KC and Oliver Mosley of QEB Hollis Whiteman were instructed by the CPS Thames and Chiltern Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit.
Mr Harris will be sentenced at on 25 February 2026. The complainants’ anonymity is protected by Section 1 of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992 and additional reporting restrictions apply.
The case has been featured in the national press:
BBC (Former Plymouth solicitor guilty of sexually assaulting clients - BBC News)
Plymouth Herald (Plymouth solicitor Alan Harris found guilty of sexually assaulting clients)
Anne Whyte KC
Oliver Mosley