A consultant psychiatrist who had an affair with a patient has asked for restrictions on his practice to be lifted.

Fergus Law embarked on a five-and-half-year relationship with a female patient after she fell for him during "eye movement therapy" sessions at Weston General Hospital, the General Medical Council heard.

In February 2007, the GMC ruled his actions abused the doctor-patient relationship and suspended him for 12 months.

Last year, the suspension order was replaced with strict conditions.

Law, 47, had to be supervised and mentored, undergo therapy sessions of his own, complete his course in medical supervision, and keep the GMC and employers informed on all matters.

Law told the panel he had complied with the restrictions and was more aware of the boundaries between doctors and patients.

He said: "I no longer engage in individual psychiatry with patients.

"I am much more knowledgeable about boundary issues from the courses, teaching and individual one-to-one work I have done in psychotherapy."

"I am very careful to make sure that everything I do is well supervised."

The panel heard he wants to continue regular sessions with his psychotherapist.

Law began treating the woman, referred to as AA, in November 1999.

The patient had a history of anxiety, trauma, psychological problems and physical ill health, the GMC heard.

Usually Law would see patients once or twice before referring them to colleagues, but he began a lengthy one-on-one course of cognitive analytical therapy (CAT) with AA.

By March 2000, the woman said she was having sexual fantasies about him and colleagues advised Law to stop treating her, but he carried on with the sessions.

In May 2000, he began treating AA with a method called eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR).

The therapy involves close contact working on a patient's eye movement and bringing back traumatic memories.

Law's EMDR treatment with the patient remained completely unsupervised until December 2000, when he transferred to Barrow Hospital in Bristol under the supervision of Dr Ray Brown.

The psychiatrist told the hearing he never wishes to perform CAT therapy again, and would only consider EMDR if he was supervised.

Law said: "I do not engage in individual psychiatry with clients. In particular, I do not practice EMDR or CAT."

"With the CAT I never really got experience, so I would not really want to do that ever again.

"With EMDR I would be interested, but I recognise I would need a refresher and would need to be supervised and do it in a safe manner."

The panel heard Law has been working as a consultant psychiatrist at a unit in Bristol, and has up to seven outpatient clinics each week.

The hearing continues.