CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A former dentist accused of using syringes to squirt his semen into the mouths of female patients was sentenced to probation on seven assault charges Wednesday though he refused to say he was guilty.

John Hall entered the Alford plea – under which a defendant acknowledges there is enough evidence for a conviction without admitting wrongdoing – at a hearing before Superior Court Judge Robert Ervin. He was charged with seven counts of misdemeanor assault on a female.

Ervin placed Hall, 44, on probation for five years, telling the alleged victims he chose that over a maximum 120-day prison sentence in the hope that Hall’s activities would be monitored and similar acts prevented.

“I don’t feel I can do justice,” Ervin told the women who attended Wednesday’s court hearing. Under the probation sentence, Hall is to spend three months on house arrest and perform 120 hours of community service.

Hall, who practiced in nearby Cornelius, was charged with assaulting six patients, including one of them twice, over an eight-month period in 2003.

The state Board of Dental Examiners revoked Hall’s license in August after the six former patients said he made them swallow what they now believe was his semen.

In testimony before the board, Hall denied the allegations.

“I have never injected semen in any patient’s mouth,” he said. “I never would. I’ve got a 10-year-old daughter. That whole concept is so beyond me.”

Police searched Hall’s office and confiscated syringes after several employees said they were suspicious of the dentist’s behavior. DNA tests on the syringes later showed they contained Hall’s semen.