An NHS dentist sexually assaulted a patient in his chair after knocking her out with anaesthetic gas.

The 32-year-old woman was referred to Lee Gaukrodger for a tooth extraction and chose not to have a local anaesthetic.

But while she was unconscious Gaukrodger performed a sexual act, a court heard.

When the woman came round from the anaesthetic she found her hair was sticky and wet.

The South African-born dental surgeon said he had accidentaly spilt some fluid on her during the procedure and was dabbing the liquid with a tissue.

But Newcastle Crown Court heard yesterday how the fluid was semen which had dripped on her during his orgasm.

The incident happened at Scrafton, Bond and Ablett in Flatt Court, South Shields, South Tyneside when a dental nurse had left the room.

Gaukrodger was charged with two charges of sexual assault and has been on bail since his arrest.

During the court hearing yesterday his barrister Paul Caulfield said; "This defendant was a dental surgeon who candidly has admitted some fairly outrageous behaviour directed to a patient of his who was immobilised by anaesthetic.

"The masturbation complained of is accepted and the ejaculation obviously is a natural result of that.

"But the defendant was to say in interview the depositing of the semen upon the patient was not intentional, it was reckless."

Gaukrodger did not enter a formal guilty plea at yesterday's hearing as the court heard prosecutors are in difficulty finding the appropriate charge.

Under new legislation for him to be guilty of an indecent assault it must include an element of touching and the touching must be deliberate.

But Mr Caulfield said the difficulty lies in " does the depositing of bodily fluids upon a victim constitute touching?"

Mr Caulfield added: "It is simply a question of identifying the correct offence".

Mr Caulfield said Gaukrodger rejects the victim's claims he groped her breasts during the incident.

He said: "He was for saying in interview the touching of the breast could only have occured while attempting to retrieve tissue placed around the patient's neck to clean the victims head."

The case was adjourned so lawyers can review the charge and will be back before the court on November 9.

Gaukrodger was granted bail in the meantime but as a condition of his bail he must not seek employment as a dentist and has surrendered his passport.

He has been banned from entering South Tyneside, must report regularly to a police station, must not contact prosecution witnesses, must not speak to anyone from the practice and must live at his home address in Kingsley Avenue, Gosforth, Newcastle.