A St. John's physician imprisoned for trafficking in narcotics and for sexually assaulting patients will likely never treat a patient again, a judge says.

Sean Buckingham was sentenced Monday to more than seven years in prison.
(CBC)

Justice James Adams sentenced Dr. Sean Buckingham on Monday to more than seven years in prison, following a trial in which a series of women described how they had sex with Buckingham in order to obtain prescription narcotics, like OxyContin.

Adams used words like "vile" and "reprehensible" to describe Buckingham, and levelled one strongly worded sentence after another while sentencing him.

Adams rejected defence pre-sentencing arguments that Buckingham might lose his livelihood if a long sentence were to be imposed.

"I am confident that he will lose his licence," Adams told the courtroom.

"He did what he did with the full knowledge that this could happen."

Buckingham's future medical career will be determined by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Newfoundland and Labrador, which said after a jury convicted Buckingham in December that it would launch an automatic review of his medical privileges.

Buckingham voluntarily surrendered his licence in 2005, soon after he was arrested during a Royal Newfoundland Constabulary raid on his home.

The college is not expected to call a panel to consider Buckingham's licence in the immediate future.

A Newfoundland Supreme Court jury convicted Buckingham after hearing two months of often sensational evidence. Most of the complainants were drug addicts and some have had troubles with the law themselves.

The jury also heard wiretaps, in which Buckingham could be heard making what the Crown called coded references to drug deals. Witnesses testified that they had sex in Buckingham's office, home and vehicle, or that they conspired with him to sell narcotics.

Defence lawyer Randy Piercey told Adams that while what Buckingham did was wrong, the judge should consider that the women all sought drugs from the doctor.

Piercey also argued that the degree of violence in the sexual assaults was low, even though one witness testified that Buckingham once tied her to a tree and struck her with a stick.

Crown prosecutors, though, presented a different take.

Federal prosecutor John Brooks accused Sean Buckingham of a 'gross abuse of the doctor-patient relationship.'
(CBC)

Provincial Crown prosecutor Robin Fowler, who handled the sexual assault charges, said Buckingham took advantage of the complainants' drug addictions.

Federal Crown prosecutor John Brooks, who handled the trafficking charges, described Buckingham's actions as a "gross abuse of the doctor-patient relationship."

Adams did not mince words in his conclusions.

"The defendant is a medical doctor and they were his patients. He knew their addictions would compel them to do as he wanted," Adams said.

"Instead of helping them, he harmed them. As they sought help for those addictions, he abused them for his own salacious purposes," Adams said. "The public is understandably outraged at this offence."

Buckingham's lawyers have 30 days to file an appeal.