Testimony of victims put paid to malicious arguments

After the sentencing of former solicitor Alan Harris on five counts of indecent assault and five counts of sexual assault against his clients, CARL EVE looks at how his defence tried in vain to argue that the claims of victims were a malicious conspiracy

- 

ONE of the key defence arguments presented to the jury during the trial of Alan Harris was the spectre of historic ‘rumours’ in Plymouth.

It was suggested by his barrister at Winchester Crown Court that the retired criminal defence solicitor was the undeserving victim of “malign conspiracies” which grew “like knotweed” and that these seedy and wicked rumours which circulated in the small city of Plymouth were somehow the fuel which complainants were using to power ‘grubby’ claims for compensation.

Of course they were lying, the jury were told.

These complainants were clearly untrustworthy, dishonest criminals with convictions dating back years, the jury were told. The defence barrister noted how the complainants moved in the same circles, they even spent some time in the same prisons, they talked to each other.

But of course they knew Harris, the jury was informed - and that was because as a hardworking criminal defence solicitor he had represented all of them at one time or another.

Money and maliciousness were their raison d'etre for everything they did, it was suggested.

Yet, although a couple of them did admit in the witness box that they would seek out financial compensation for the abuse they suffered if Harris was convicted, most of them actually spurned the suggestion, considering it an insult.

One complainant, Male H, said: “I got not reason to lie and I don’t want to be here. I’ve got to be here. Someone’s gotta put him to bed”.

Male H went on to refute the defence’s claim that this was all about wringing out some cold hard cash, saying: “I will state I don’t want a penny. I'm not doing this for money. I’m doing this because I'm now xx-years old and the truth needs to come out before it happens to anyone else.”

Instead, their testimony lent truth to the rumours.