Allison was jailed in December at Winchester Crown Court

Three judges at the Court of Appeal agreed with submissions from the Attorney General that the eight-year prison sentence imposed on Christopher Allison was "unduly lenient".

Lord Justice Mantell, sitting with Mr Justice Nelson and Mr Justice Jack, said the court was of the view that the least sentence which should have been given was 12 years.

But taking into account the double jeopardy element in cases referred to the Court of Appeal by the Attorney General - which mean offenders faced being sentenced twice - the eight years was substituted for 10 years.

Allison, 60, who had been living in Risby, near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, was jailed in December 2002 at Winchester Crown Court after being found guilty of 10 counts of indecent assault and two of rape.

The court heard the offences spanned a 14-year period covering times when he practiced in Ashford and Canterbury in Kent, Basingstoke and Oxford.

Lord Justice Mantell said the case involved a "serious breach of trust involving a number of women".

The court head Allison's name was removed from the medical register in August 2000 and he would never be able to practice again.