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Sydney Lawyer Grabs Random Woman’s Crotch

Summary: A top lawyer in Sydney, Australia was charged with indecently assaulting a woman by grabbing her in the crotch.

A principal lawyer at Freehills Patent Attorneys (FPA) was arrested and charged on December 28 for indecently assaulting a woman. Carp Harrap, 40, grabbed the crotch of a jogging woman he did not know on a harborside track in Clontarf.

Court documents state that Harrap “grabbed the woman’s vagina from behind using his four fingers and the palm of his hand.” There were two independent witnesses to the incident.

Harrap lives in Seaforth with his wife and children. He will remain on bail until his next court date on March 8. Part of the bail conditions state that he cannot enter Manly Scenic Walk within 200 meters of Castle Rock Beach.

Harrap’s attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf while he held his wife’s hand tightly at the Manly Local Courthouse. Neither Harrap nor his wife responded to questions from reporters as they left the court building.

He is still employed by FPA, a firm that is linked to the corporate law firm Herbert Smith Freehills. A spokesman for the firm confirmed that even though the link to his page on the FPA website was broken, it did not mean he was no longer with the firm. They stated that he is currently on leave. The spokesman said, “Not only could you not find Mr Harrap on the site but none of the FPA people links were working.”

He is listed as a member of the Professional Standards Board for Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys.

What possible excuse could Harrap have to explain grabbing an unknown woman the way he did? Tell us your predictions in the comments below.

To learn more about lawyers that can’t keep their hands to themselves, read these articles:

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Amanda Griffin: