A man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after being found guilty of holding a replica firearm to a woman’s head and raping her.
Neil Glover, aged 47 and of no fixed abode, was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday 8 January 2021 after being found guilty at an earlier trial at the same court of two counts of rape, having a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence and assault by penetration.
As well as being sentenced to 18 years in jail, Glover will also be subject to an extended licence period of a further seven years. He was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the sex offenders’ register for an indefinite period.
The defendant 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 10 February 2020.
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 Glover, he asked for another appointment that was eventually agreed to by the victim. He visited her address again two days later on Wednesday 12 February.
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 victim reported the matter to police 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.
Detective Constable 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.”
If you have been the victim of a rape or sexual assault and want to report it directly to police, contact Dorset Police via 101 and ask to speak to a specially-trained officer. In an emergency always dial 999.
We acknowledge 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.
If you have been the subject of a sexual offence and are not sure if you want the police to be involved, then you 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.
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