Lawyers for a consultant psychiatrist who was placed on the sex offenders' register despite being found unfit to stand trial on rape and indecent assault charges claimed in court today that he was the victim of an ''oppressive'' procedure.

William Kerr, 75, suffers from a brain-wasting disease and, because of his mental incapacity, was not officially tried when a Leeds Crown Court jury was asked last December to make ''findings of fact'' on the charges brought against him.

After a lengthy hearing, the jury found that he had indecently assaulted a woman patient 14 years ago.

The jurors cleared him of four other indecent assaults and two rapes, and were unable to reach decisions on another 10 indecent assault charges and two rape allegations.

Kerr, of Haigh End, Alne, near York, was granted an absolute discharge and placed in the sex offenders register.

The Court of Appeal is now being asked to overturn the jury's finding of fact.

The General Medical Council suspended his membership of the medical register for 18 months pending further investigations into his conduct over the past 20 years.

At present, the GMC has no power to strike him off, but it is considering legal changes which would allow for the automatic striking-off of anyone placed on the sex offenders register.

The Department of Health has launched an inquiry into allegations made against Kerr by a large number of women.

Updated: 16.30 Wednesday, July 25