A doctor told a jury he was shocked when a patient said she had had an orgasm during a hypnotherapy session.

Imad Al-Khawaja, 48, said it felt like a slap in the face.

The doctor, a father of four, has denied indecently assaulting two patients during hypnotherapy treatments at Brighton General Hospital.

One of his alleged victims, a 47-year-old woman suffering from multiple sclerosis, accused the doctor of fondling her breasts and telling her she would have an orgasm, which she did.

But Al-Khawaja, who is employed by South Downs NHS Trust as a consultant in rehabilitation, told the jury at Hove Crown Court he had not touched the woman in a sexual manner or questioned her about her sexual desires. He said the session was interrupted by a phone call from his garage about repairs to his car.

When he answered the phone, he told her to enjoy her inner thoughts. He said he watched the woman, who looked calm and relaxed and was touching her mouth while one hand was on her chest.

When he finished the call, she told him she had had a pleasant experience and felt as if she had had an orgasm.

Al-Khawaja, of Valley Drive, Brighton, said he reacted as if he had been slapped in the face.

He said: "I was not expecting that at all. I told her that I was on the phone and she was on her own so whatever happened was in her mind and was not real."

He said he may have joked with her that she could have another orgasm because he was trying to cover up his embarrassment.

He denied telling her she was sexy or that she would have an orgasm.

The court has heard the woman complained to police soon after the session in June last year. She committed suicide in December because of her failing quality of life.

Al-Khawaja, a consultant physician based at the Sussex Rehabilitation Centre, has also denied indecently assaulting a 20-year-old woman during hypnotherapy.

The trial continues.