He still faces 22 charges.
Alan Harris, 72, arriving at Winchester Crown Court this morning (Mon 24/11/25)(Image: Corin Messer)
A retired criminal defence solicitor accused of sexually assaulting a number of clients learned that eight of the 30 charges against him have been dropped by prosecutors.
Alan Harris, now aged 72 and from Thorn Park in Plymouth, is currently on trial at Winchester Crown Court, Hampshire. He initially faced 30 charges covering indecent assault, rape and buggery.
However, following evidence presented in court by complainant Female A – who cannot be identified for legal reasons – the jury was addressed by the presiding Judge Angela Morris.
Judge Morris directed the jury of nine men and three women to return not guilty verdicts on eight charges, including charges of six counts of indecent assault, one count of rape and one count of buggery upon Male B.
The offences were alleged to have taken place between May 1992 and May 2002 at Harris’ office, at Plymouth Magistrates’ Court and at Male B’s home address.
Alan Harris, 72, arriving at Winchester Crown Court this morning (Mon 24/11/25)(Image: Corin Messer)
The jury was told that this was because Male B had chosen not to engage with the Crown and would now not be called as a witness in the trial.
As a consequence, the jury was told the Crown Prosecution Service would no longer offer any evidence in support of these eight charges. This means Harris now faces 22 charges, relating to eight complainants – seven men and one woman.
Earlier today [Tuesday, November 25], the jury heard from Female A, who gave evidence via a video link to a police station in Plymouth.
She claimed that during one consultation at Plymouth Magistrates’ Court Harris had suggested that she was a “£20 type of girl”. He also suggested he made comment about her being “relaxed” although she initially used the phrase “comfy” while allegedly looking down her top to her breasts. She said that after this incident in 2014 Harris began to rub her shoulder.
She confirmed that her bra had been removed by police due to risk of her using it to self-harm.
In response to questions from defence barrister Christine Agnew KC she said that the removal of her bra was not unique and had been carried out by police “a few times”.
She vehemently disagreed with Ms Agnew’s suggestion that she had requested Harris to represent her, insisting records were wrong to report that she had as it “wasn’t the case at all”.
She told Ms Agnew “you can try to make me out to look like a liar but the truth is out there”.
Alan Harris, 72, arriving at Winchester Crown Court this morning(Image: Corin Messer Photography)
Female A, now in her late 30s, had previously told police that on another occasion, understood to have been on February 6, 2015, he had allegedly groped her breasts and between her legs after taking her into a consultation room in a far corner of Plymouth Magistrates’ Court.
After being accused of making up her claims, she angrily replied “unfortunately there’s too many victims who don’t know each other, that are all saying the same things, spanning nearly three decades”.
She added: “It’s not a conspiracy, it’s not a coincidence. It happened.”
Asked how she knew there were a number of complainants, Female A replied: “I read it in the paper. It is going to be news isn’t it.”
Asked how she knew the allegations spanned three decades she retorted “27 years it says in the paper”.
Asked when she found this out, she replied: “About two weeks ago when it started coming out on PlymouthLive.”
However, when asked if she had just found out that there were other complainants she replied: “No, I found out two years ago when the DCI’s (Detective Chief Inspector) came back to me to say they were now able to get a charge as they weren’t able to 10 years ago as many other people had come forward.”
She denied she was only giving evidence now because there was “strength in numbers”, claiming that two years ago, when police came to her, she was in a stronger place mentally and had got clear of drugs, had her own accommodation and was not drinking and was prepared to give evidence in court.
Winchester Crown Court in Hampshire(Image: Corin Messer)
She said that by comparison 10 years ago she was homeless, drinking heavily and was taking drugs.
However, after being challenged by Ms Agnew KC as to making up her story as she went along, Female A began to claim she was in a stronger place in 2014/2015.
When she claimed that Harris would ask her who she was sleeping with and “told me he could get me heroin” she was questioned as to why she had never told police or anyone else this before, she insisted he said that as she appeared so “ill” he could get her heroin and that she had “just remembered it now”.
Ms Agnew KC accused Female A of telling a “vicious lie you’ve just made up”, which Female A denied.
Showed CCTV footage from inside Plymouth Magistrates’ Court where she claimed Harris slapped her bottom in the corridor, she claimed that the reason it was not visible on the footage was because “he knows where the cameras are”.
In answer to further questions she said she was not aware of a man or anyone walking around the area with a banner referring to Harris or any rumours around Harris, adding: “Do you think I would’ve used him if I knew he was a pervert solicitor? No.”
She also said she did not make up the allegations to get herself out of a difficult situation with the Probation Service as she claimed she was “doing amazing” with her probation. She denied she made up the claim to get out of a hearing relating to a breach of her probation.
Asked questions by the jury, through Judge Morris, Female A said she followed Harris from the main public area to a second consultation room, having already had her breast allegedly touched while in one consultation room, she said “After he did that the first time I didn’t realise that the second time he was going to a room at the back of the court. I was just following him. I didn’t think he was taking me to another room”.
Asked whether she was scared when she said she was sexually assaulted by Harris she said she was. Asked how it made her feel, she replied: “Absolutely disgusted. I was in shock. I was very confused. Stressed. Then it just got worse for me when I left the court, the way it made me feel.”
The jury also heard from a man who had accompanied Female A to the court during the alleged incident. Describing himself as her “adopted grandad” he claimed he saw Harris putting his hand on her bottom. He said after they left the court he asked her what it was about, but he said Female A would only say that Harris had “touched her inappropriately”.
However, when shown all the CCTV footage of Harris, Female A and himself inside Plymouth Magistrates’ Court – which did not show Harris putting his hand on her bottom when they were both in view, he said it was “weird” as he was “95 per cent sure” he had seen Harris touch Female A’s bottom in front of him when they were near the foyer of the court.
Plymouth Magistrates’ Court
The jury also heard from a probation support officer who dealt with Female A in 2015. In response to questions he said that at that time she was “very chaotic, a very troubled lady” who had a “large number of issues”. He said “to be honest she was quite unmanageable in many respects”.
He confirmed that Female A did tell him on one occasion that she did not want to attend a breach hearing in court because Harris had assaulted her in the court. He said she told him that he had touched her breasts, kissed her and put his hand down the front of her jeans.
He told the jury: “She was of the belief that she wouldn’t be believed. She certainly thought I didn’t believe her and was reticent to make a disclosure for that very reason.”
When he was asked if she was made aware that she could be taken into custody if she failed to attend the breach hearing, the probation support officer said Female A appeared “surprisingly unfazed”.
He said that after she had told him, he went on to tell his line manager as “it was a case I had never come across before in my career so I was unsure of how to proceed.”
He said she did turn up to the breach proceedings hearing at Plymouth Magistrates’ Court and he led her to the probation office where police were waiting for her. He said she did not know in advance that they were there to speak to her about the allegations she had made to the probation support worker.
He confirmed that the breach proceedings were withdrawn as a consequence of her allegation, but said that he did not know that was going to happen beforehand and that he did not think she knew this was going to happen either.
The remaining charges are:
* indecent assault of Male A between December 3, 1989 and August 10, 1991
* indecent assault of Male A between December 3, 1989 and August 10, 1991
* indecent assault on more than one occasion of Male C between October 20, 2000 and October 21, 2003
* indecent assault of Male C between October 20, 2000 and October 21, 2003
* indecent assault on more than one occasion of Male D between May 6, 1999 and May 13, 2000
* rape of Male D between May 6, 1999 and May 1, 2004
* rape of Male D between April 30, 2004 and December 31, 2010
* indecent assault on more than one occasion of Male E between October 13, 2002 and May 1, 2004
* sexual assault by intentionally touching on more than one occasion Male E between April 30, 2004 and March 21, 2014
* indecent assault on more than one occasion of Male E between October 13, 2002 and May 1, 2004
* sexual assault by touching on more than one occasion of Male E between April 30, 2004 and March 21, 2014
* indecent assault on more than on occasion of Male F between October 13, 1996 and May 1, 2004
* sexual assault by touching on more than on occasion on Male F between April 30, 2004 and 25 March 2010
* indecent assault on more than one occasion of Male F between October 13, 1996 and May 1, 2004
* sexual assault by touching on more than one occasion of Male F between April 30, 2004 and March 25, 2010
* indecent assault on more than one occasion of Male F between October 13, 1996 and May 1, 2004
* sexual assault by touching on more than one occasion of Male F between April 30, 2004 and March 25, 2010
* indecent assault on Male G between March 1, 2000 and March 10, 2001
* sexual assault by touching on Male G on December 2, 2004
* indecent assault of Male H between October 15, 2001 and May 1, 2004
* sexual assault by touching on Female A on February 6, 2015
* sexual assault by touching of Female A on February 6, 2015
Harris has denied all the charges.
The trial continues.
