Jury told 'malign conspiracies' are behind charges

SOLICITOR IS ACTUALLY 'VICTIM' IN TRIAL

- By CARL EVE

Alan Harris arriving at Winchester Crown Court

(CORIN MESSER)

A JURY has been told that a retired criminal defence solicitor who is on trial for allegedly sexually abusing several of his former clients is the victim of "malign conspiracies".

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 a number of offences including indecent assault and rape but this has now been reduced to 22 charges after the Crown Prosecution Service withdrew eight charges relating to a complainant.

The jury had been told by the prosecution that the alleged incidents had taken place in cells at Charles Cross police station custody suite, the cells under Plymouth Magistrates' court, in his car and in his former office in North Hill.

Summing up the case, defence barrister Christine Agnew KC reminded the jury of the words of one of Harris' former staff who described him as "honest", "caring", "genuinely interested in others and their lives", "a huge reputation" and "a diamond of a bloke to work for".

Yet the jury, she said, were asked to believe that he "suddenly turned into a monster, a beast and a predator".