A POOLE man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for multiple counts of rape and sexual assault on a woman.

Steven Robert Sansom, 35, was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on Wednesday, July 8, after being found guilty of three counts of rape and seven counts of sexual assault at the same court on June 17.

Sansom was handed a dangerous offender extension, which extends his licence when released from prison by an additional five years.

He was also given a restraining order to prevent him contacting his victim and told that he would have to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register.

The court heard how Sansom carried out the offences at an address in Poole between December 20, 2014 and January 9, 2015.

Sansom was arrested on January 10 at an address in Poole and charged with the offences the following day.

Detective Constable Stefanie Belton of Bournemouth CID said: “This is a positive result for the victim and her family.

"The victim endured traumatic and multiple assaults and it took great courage for her to come forward and support the prosecution.

"I would like to thank the victim and her family for their continued support throughout this case which enabled the police to secure 10 convictions. The given sentence reflects the serious nature of the offences.

"Dorset Police has a specialist unit dedicated to the investigation of serious sexual offences. These officers are specially-trained and sensitive to the unique needs of victims of sexual offences.

"I hope that this case shows that we take such offences extremely seriously and will fully support victims."