The attorney for a once-prominent child psychiatrist accused of molesting minors says his client suffers from severe dementia and should be released from a state hospital.

The San Mateo County Times reports that 80-year-old Dr. William Ayres — the former president of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry — was evaluated at Napa State Hospital and found to suffer from "significant deterioration."

His 2009 trial on nine counts of lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor under 14 ended with a hung jury, and last year he was committed to Napa.

Ayres was arrested in 2007 after accusations from at least 11 men who said the doctor touched their genitals during therapy sessions when they were boys.

District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe has vigorously opposes Ayres' release.