SIXTEEN former patients of disgraced York psychiatrist William Kerr have received compensation totalling almost £300,000 - and an apology for distress suffered.

The pay-outs by the former North Yorkshire Health Authority were rubber-stamped today by a judge sitting at Harrogate County Court.

The women, who had accused the retired Clifton Hospital consultant of sexual assault during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, will share the compensation according to the severity of their complaints and the period when the alleged offences happened, according to their solicitor Lucy-Ann Pillars, of law firm Irwin Mitchell.

She said the authority had neither admitted the assaults nor liability, and the assaults might never be proven. However, "the women who brought these very serious allegations against Dr Kerr have today won a victory, in that there has been some vindication for their claims. They can now rebuild that part of their lives."

The settlement was welcomed by the North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire Strategic Health Authority, that has inherited responsibility for the case from former NHS organisations which no longer exist.

"The settlements have been agreed between the parties, and we sincerely hope that this outcome will go some way to helping the women involved.

"On behalf of the NHS in Yorkshire, we again offer our sincerest apologies for the distress suffered by the women who were patients of Dr Kerr."

The patients today welcomed the compensation, but said it was not the money which was important but what they believed was an acceptance of responsibility by the authorities.

This is probably the beginning of the healing process for us.

Another patient from Knaresborough, who preferred to be identified only as Pat, said what mattered most to her was that she was believed.

"If they had put £5 in my pocket and said sorry, I would be just as happy."

The settlement comes more than two years after a jury at Leeds Crown Court decided Dr Kerr, then 75, of Alne, near Easingwold, had indecently assaulted a former patient from Ripon.

He had been accused of 15 indecent assaults and four rapes of former patients but was unable to stand trial because of ill health.

During a hearing of fact, the jury acquitted him of two rapes and of four assaults, while the remaining charges were left on the file.

He did not receive a criminal conviction and was given an absolute discharge, but he was placed on the sex offenders register.

Kathy Haq, spokeswoman for a number of the patients, said: "I am happy that this has now been settled. We are all relieved."

Updated: 17:12 Tuesday, April 15, 2003