A MAN who held a gun to a woman's head as he raped her has been handed an extended sentence after a judge deemed him to be dangerous.

Neil Glover was sentenced to 18 years behind bars for two offences of rape, assault by penetration and possessing an imitation firearm with intent to commit rape.

He was found guilty of these crimes after a trial at Bournemouth Crown Court.

The 48-year-old was issued with an extended period of licence to run for seven years, meaning Judge Jonathan Fuller QC sentenced him to a total of 25 years at a hearing on Friday, January 8.

He was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the sex offenders' register for an indefinite period.

A police detective described Glover's actions as "a truly horrifying sexual attack".

The defendant, of no fixed abode, had made contact with the victim, a woman aged in her 50s, to book a massage appointment at her address in Christchurch on the evening of Monday, February 10, last year.

During the course of the massage Glover forcibly touched the victim inappropriately without her consent. She managed to stop Glover, to which he then immediately apologised.

Following further apologies from the defendant, he asked for another appointment that was eventually agreed to by the victim. He visited her address again two days later on Wednesday, February 12.

During the appointment, when the victim had her back to him, Glover pulled out what she believed to be a gun and held it to her head.

The defendant forced her to perform oral sex on him before raping her.

The matter was reported to police by the victim the following day and Glover was arrested at the Bournemouth address he was staying in.

During a search of the premises officers found five imitation firearms, including a replica pistol that matched the description given by the victim.

When interviewed by officers Glover claimed that all the sexual activity had been consensual but made no comment to questions around the use of the firearm.

Judge Fuller QC ordered that the firearms were to be destroyed.

DC Tom Bancroft, of Bournemouth CID, said: “Neil Glover subjected his victim to what must have been a truly horrifying sexual attack, using what she believed to be a genuine firearm.

“She suffered a horrific ordeal at the hands of this defendant that he then compounded by continuing to deny his offending and taking the matter to trial.

“I would like to praise the victim for the strength she has shown throughout – from coming forward initially, through to supporting the investigation and giving evidence for the trial.

“We will always take reports of sexual offences extremely seriously and have a specialist team of officers who will investigate cases and ensure victims are fully supported."

Anyone who has been the victim of a rape or sexual assault who wants to report it directly to police, should contact Dorset Police via 101 and ask to speak to a specially-trained officer. In an emergency always dial 999.

Dorset Police said it acknowledges that not everyone will want to report a matter directly to the police. The Shores is the sexual assault referral centre for Dorset and its expert staff are independent of the police.

Anyone who has been the subject of a sexual offence and is not sure if they want the police to be involved, they can call or visit The Shores to talk about what happened. The Shores can be contacted on 01202 552056 and more details about their facilities can be found on their website www.the-shores.org.uk.