A Kauai District judge called an attorney "a dirty old man" and found him guilty Thursday of licking a female client’s ear in his Lihue office.

Lawrence McCreery, 64, was convicted of harassment by per-diem District Judge Frank Rothschild and ordered to pay a $250 fine.

The woman, who was 21 at the time, accused McCreery of licking her ear when she went to his office on July 26, 2011, to discuss her child custody case. She said McCreery touched her arm and commented how good she looked, according to a news release from the Kauai prosecutor’s office.

McCreery, she said, made a strange sound, hugged her tightly and licked the back of her right ear.

McCreery denied the charges in court Thursday. He testified the woman initiated the hug, and he denied licking her ear, the news release said.

Rothschild said, "Quite frankly, these are the actions of a dirty old man."

While in court, attorney Michael Soong, who is representing McCreery, said they plan to file an appeal. McCreery could not be reached for comment.

McCreery has been licensed to practice law in Hawaii since 1975.

According to his website, he has had his private law practice on Kauai for more than 30 years and is a father of four grown children who live on the mainland.