A former criminal defence solicitor found guilty of sexually abusing vulnerable and often young clients in police stations and court cells has been jailed. Alan Harris, 72, was convicted in December of 10 offences aganist seven victims - six male and one female - at Winchester Crown Court. None of them can be named for legal reasons.

He committed the crimes between 1988 and 2015, the majority of which happened during private legal consultations at Plymouth Magistrates' Court and Charles Cross police station. Harris also offended in his car and at a residential address in the city, PlymouthLive reports.

He denied the charges but was found guilty of five counts of indecent assault and five counts of sexual assault, and sentenced to 13 years.

During his sentencing, one victim described Harris as "a monster", with the trauma resulting in "recurring nightmares of what you did to me - I relive it all the time". Another said his abuse "destroyed me and many other people".

A third, serving a life sentence for murder, said Harris "knew nobody would believe me if I spoke out - I had no choice but to bury it".

Judge Angela Morris, sentencing, said: "There is no greater fall from grace than this." She pointed to a "darker side" to his character and called the abuse of trust a "fundamental aspect" of his offending.

Harris' advocate, Christine Agnew KC, said her client "saw the irony in that his life as a criminal defence solicitor would end up here - being decided by a jury in the criminal justice system".

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She said he would find prison "extremely difficult" as "those already in prison may choose to make it more difficult".

Senior Investigating Officer Chief Superintendent Roy Linden previously said: "Alan Harris has been convicted of despicable sexual offences against victims he targeted because of their vulnerability, thinking nobody would ever believe them.

"The victims in this case have shown enormous courage in reporting these offences, placing trust in the criminal justice process and in giving evidence in court.

"Speaking directly to victims of sexual offences: We would encourage anyone who has been in this situation to come forward, and we will review each case on its own merits to determine if there is sufficient evidence to proceed."