A retired consultant psychiatrist began a seven-year jail sentence yesterday for raping a patient in the 1980s.

Michael Haslam, 69, had denounced a culture of "witch-hunts and whistleblowing" against doctors in an essay on recovered false memory written for a book published by the Society for Clinical Psychologists last year. He was also given concurrent three-year and 18-month terms for four indecent assaults.

Passing sentence at Leeds crown court, Mr Justice Gray told him he had used his specialist knowledge of his victims' vulnerability to cause them profound harm: "That has been compounded by the fact that by contesting these charges you have subjected the women to the ordeal of giving evidence. The assaults took place under the pretext of treatment that was inappropriate or of doubtful therapeutic benefit, or both. They have resulted in your disgrace both professionally and personally."

The court had heard earlier how Dr Haslam, of Crayke near Easingwold, raped a patient at Clifton psychiatric hospital in York. Afterwards she tried to kill herself.

Two other women were assaulted during spurious treatment for frigidity. One, Lila Taylor, 58, a retired district nurse, waived her right to anonymity. "In those days things were different," she said after the case. "The doctors really were gods and had a lot of power. Hopefully now the complaints system will be improved."

The defendant left the NHS in 1989, going into private practice until retiring in 1998; the offences took place in 1981 and 1988.