A consultant psychiatrist who raped and sexually assaulted vulnerable women patients over 14-years has been jailed for eight years at Winchester Crown Court.

Christopher Allison, 60, was charged with the offences at clinics in Ashford and Canterbury in Kent, Oxford, and more recently in Basingstoke, Hants.

He was found guilty on Monday of nine counts of indecent assault and two counts of rape.

Of the four charges remaining overnight, he was found guilty of one charge of indecent assault and not guilty of one charge of rape.

We believe Christopher Allison is a serial sex offender who has used his profession to abuse his very vulnerable victims Detective Chief Inspector Jim Antczak

The jury could not reach a verdict on two remaining charges, one of rape, one of attempted rape.

The prosecution has said it will not seek a retrial on the two remaining charges.

Allison, dressed in a tweed green suit, showed no emotion as Judge Patrick Hooton sentenced him.

Judge Hooton said: "You were in as an important position of trust to your patients as it's possible to be.

"They relied on you to help them and you betrayed them for your own selfish sexual purposes."

Before giving a breakdown of the sentence details, the judge added: "Maybe we will never know how much damage your behaviour has caused them."

Police described Allison as a "serial sex offender" and said four more women had come forward since the start of the trial alleging they were sexually assaulted by him.

Vulnerable victims

The man leading the investigation, Detective Chief Inspector Jim Antczak, said: "We believe Christopher Allison is a serial sex offender who has used his profession to abuse his very vulnerable victims.

"He groomed them and when they were totally dependent on him, he abused their trust.

"There are people out there who do not want to rake up the past and do not want to relive it. We believe there are people out there who have not come forward."

Allison, formerly of Skippets Lane West, Basingstoke, now lives in Risby, near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.