George Carman, the outstanding advocate of his generation, was plagued by a "dark side" that saw his personal life blighted by alcoholism, gambling, sexual confusion and domestic violence, according to a new book by his son.

In a frank biography Dominic Carman reveals the celebrated barrister, who died last year of prostate cancer, subjected his wives to "appalling violence".

George Carman owed his celebrity to his brilliance in the libel courts. He successfully defended the Guardian in an action brought by the disgraced former minister Jonathan Aitken, and was the star of high profile cases involving another disgraced former minister Neil Hamilton, footballer Bruce Grobbelaar, actor Gillian Taylforth and Sonia Sutcliffe, the wife of Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper.

But Dominic Carman's account, which was commissioned by his father in the last years of his life, paints him as a violent, insecure, self-indulgent and frustrated man who neglected his family in favour of his addictions and career.

During the 1960s and 1970s Carman was working as a criminal lawyer in Manchester and had just started a family with his second wife, Celia Sparrow. He spent more time in Salford's casino and the bars of Greater Manchester than at home, and the relationship descended into violence.

"Alcohol, gambling and talking to people were George's pastimes outside work. Older black cab drivers... still recall the six and seven hour fares that took George from bar to club to casino, and the waiting between stops before the trip home," Carman writes.

"George would return... unpredictable and volatile. Often there was appalling violence. The police would become involved but they were handled with consummate skill.

"His tactics varied. Subtle bullying and intimidation were routine. Physical violence was quite regular. Ritual humiliation was a speciality. The verbal and physical attacks that I witnessed are my most vivid childhood memories.

"George needed an audience. From the age of four or five, I was made to watch each punishing performance as he degraded her in front of me with violent, caustic language and blows from his fists. As it progressed he explained why she deserved this treatment. She did not fight back."

The book, No Ordinary Man, also contains transcripts of taped interviews with Frances Atkins, Carman's third wife. She says that during one argument he threw her down the stairs, cracking her hip.

Carman's first wife Ursula Groves tells Dominic Carman that she believes his father was bisexual. Their marriage was never consummated. "I never discussed it with George, even when he used to get postcards from Manchester with strange cryptic messages in coded language. They were obviously from another man."