Neil John Harrison

Findings — machine-extracted (anthropic-batch:claude-opus-4-8); verify against the decision

Neil John Harrison, a solicitor admitted in 1980, was convicted at Exeter Crown Court on 8 November 2006 of possessing an indecent image of a child under 16 (acquitted of eleven downloading counts); he was fined £400 by the court and placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for five years, and his appeal was dismissed by the Court of Appeal. The Tribunal found the admitted conviction amounted to conduct unbefitting a solicitor. Although the offence was at the lower end of the scale, it was very serious, and to maintain the profession's reputation the Tribunal struck him off the Roll and ordered costs of £1,529.50. No express finding of dishonesty was made.

Duties found breached:

• Personal probity and fitness to practise

Aggravating factors:

• Prior 1999 Tribunal finding of conduct unbefitting (failure to file Accountant's Report)
• Required to sign Sex Offenders' Register for five years
• Conviction damaged the reputation of the profession

Mitigating factors:

• Respondent was 51 and had been in practice since 1980
• Conviction was for an offence at the lower end of the scale (single image, no distribution, simple possession)
• Court imposed only a financial penalty (£400) and no order for costs
• Had not held a practising certificate since end of 2006
• Was an undischarged bankrupt in a parlous financial position