A leading academic in the North-East has prescribed Prozac instead of prison for sex offenders.

Professor Don Grubin has carried out research which he believes proves that the drug suppresses the urges of paedophiles and rapists.

Home Office ministers have approved tests to prove the effectiveness of the treatment, with plans to make the drug available to offenders next year.

Doctors believe a high dose of Prozac - carefully supervised over long periods - may be enough to reduce abnormal sex drives.

Forensic psychiatrist Prof Grubin, of St Nicholas's Hospital, in Gosforth, Newcastle, and also based at Newcastle University, is leading the work commissioned by the National Health Service's forensic medical health research and development committee into the treatment of sex offenders.

He said: "I believe Prozac will work for these cases. It is widely and successfully used for this purpose in the US."

Under the tests - due to start in the next few weeks - a sample group of 50 imprisoned sex offenders will volunteer for the six-month study.

Meg Colpitts, founder of the Newcastle charity JustKidz, which supports victims of paedophiles, welcomed the research.

She said: "We need people to look at new ways of treating sex offenders because conventional methods of dealing with them definitely are not working.

"People say they should be locked up and the keys thrown away, but that doesn't really help anyone - I'm all for any possible cures."

However, Home Office minister Beverley Hughes said previous tests indicated that drugs suppressed overactive sex drives but not violent endencies.