Former solicitor Alan Harris faces trial over 21 charges, including rape, at Winchester Crown Court
A former Plymouth criminal defence solicitor will stand trial next month on multiple sexual offence charges dating back nearly three decades.
Alan Harris, 71, of Thorn Park, Plymouth, faces a total of 21 charges involving nine complainants. The alleged offences are said to have occurred in Plymouth between 1988 and 2015.
Harris, once a well-known defence lawyer whose firm operated close to Plymouth Magistrates’ Court, pleaded not guilty at a hearing before Bristol Crown Court in October 2024. He was originally summonsed to appear at Plymouth Magistrates’ Court, but the venue was transferred to Bristol before later being moved again.
The Crown Prosecution Service successfully applied for the case to be heard outside the western circuit, citing case management reasons. It will now be tried at Winchester Crown Court, with proceedings scheduled to begin on 3 November 2025 and expected to last until 5 December. Judge Angela Morris, The Recorder of Winchester, presided over a case management hearing on 21 November 2024.
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The charges Harris faces include rape, buggery, indecent assault, and sexual touching without consent. They relate to both male and female complainants. According to the indictment, the alleged offences range from indecent assaults in the late 1980s through to sexual touching allegations in 2015.
Among the charges are:
- The rape of a male between 1997 and 2002.
- Committing buggery on a male under 21 in 1992.
- Multiple counts of indecent assault on male complainants between 1988 and 2004, including incidents alleged to have taken place in cars.
- Sexual touching of a male complainant without consent between 2004 and 2013.
- Sexual touching of a female complainant in 2015.
Harris denies all allegations.
Devon and Cornwall Police previously confirmed the scale of the case, but reminded the public of legal restrictions. In a statement, the force said: “We would remind people that there should be no speculation or sharing of information online which could prejudice these proceedings. By law, any alleged victim of a sexual crime is automatically granted anonymity for life.”
The defendant remains on conditional bail pending trial.
Harris practised law in Plymouth for many years and built a reputation as a criminal defence solicitor, representing clients in both magistrates’ and crown court cases. His firm was based on St Andrews Street, close to Plymouth’s court buildings.
The trial is expected to involve detailed evidence covering a wide time frame, with allegations spanning from the late 1980s to the mid-2010s. Jurors are likely to hear from multiple complainants, with the Crown Prosecution Service set to present evidence across a period of more than 25 years.
Because of the nature of the charges, reporting restrictions apply. The law automatically grants lifelong anonymity to alleged victims of sexual crime, meaning they cannot be named or identified in media coverage.
The hearing next month will mark the first time a jury considers the allegations in full. If convicted, Harris faces the possibility of a lengthy custodial sentence.
The case is being closely monitored in legal circles due to both the scale of the allegations and Harris’s former prominence in the Plymouth legal community.