Convicted serial rapist Paul Callow says that he had to fight to get counselling for his problems while in prison, and that he can't access psychological programs now that he's been released.

The 52-year-old Callow served his full 20-year sentence for five brutal, knifepoint rapes in the 1980s in Toronto. He was dubbed the "balcony rapist" because he got into his victims' homes through their balcony doors.

Since his release, he has been living with his sister in Surrey, B.C., and has been the subject of repeated public protests by Surrey residents concerned about their safety.

But Callow told CBC Radio's The Early Edition on Friday that he's been falsely portrayed in police warnings and media reports as having refused all treatment while in prison.

"From the very beginning, I was trying to get into sex offender programs, and the institutions put me on a waiting list. Eventually I put in a grievance saying 'You know, I know I need treatment. Please give it to me.' And it took a number of years," he told host Rick Cluff.

"There was very little waiting for me when I was released. I tried to get psychological counselling upon my release. Nobody wanted to pay for it. For some reason, I wasn't allowed to be covered for psychologists because of being on probation."

Callow's lawyer, noted University of B.C. law professor Michael Jackson, said prison records prove Callow did complete more than a dozen rehab programs while in prison, and that his client gave up and withdrew from participating in 2003, when he realized he was not going to get paroled.