A "DANGEROUS" children's entertainer has been jailed for a string of child sex offences in the New Forest.

Steven Oxborrow sexually abused three children on multiple occasions while working as a children’s martial arts instructor and children’s entertainer.

Police say he groomed victims "into a false sense of security" leaving them "fearful" to speak out.

Southampton Crown Court heard a parent of one of his victims found inappropriate messages between the pair on a family computer which prompted the then 12-year-old to come forward.

During the investigation, officers also uncovered a further victim – and upon seizing his computer, specialist officers located indecent images of children.

A jury heard a third victim reported being sexually abused when taking part in martial art classes.

On April 5, the 33-year-old was found guilty of five charges of sexual activity with a child under 13, three charges of sexual of a child under 13, two charges of making indecent photographs of a child, one charge of possession of an indecent image of a child and one charge of rape of a child under 13.

The offences took place over a seven-year period, between January 2005 and June 2012, in the Wootton and New Milton areas.

READ MORE: Man jailed for raping woman in 'prolonged and sustained' attack on footbridge

Appearing in court on Thursday, Oxborrow, of Wilverley Road in Wootton, was jailed for 13 and a half years and was ordered to serve an additional year on licence.

He was made subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, with all three victims being granted restraining orders against Oxborrow for life, ensuring that he cannot contact them.

Oxborrow was also required to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Detective Constable Donna Kay from Hampshire Constabulary’s Amberstone Unit, said: “Firstly I would like to commend the bravery and courage of the three victims in reporting the abuse in the first instance, with each one showing maturity beyond their years and playing a vital role in securing justice.

“They were just children when Steven Oxborrow decided to take away their innocence – with the victims fearful at the time of abuse of getting themselves, and a man that they liked and trusted, into trouble.

“Oxborrow demonstrated that he was a very dangerous human-being in grooming his victims – and their parents – into a false sense of security as a supposed ‘respected’ person within the community who would not cause anyone any harm.

“As we now know, this can’t be further from the truth. We hope that today’s sentencing can provide the victims with a sense of closure and comfort that he can no longer harm them.

“We want to show you that no matter the circumstances, Hampshire Constabulary are committed to supporting survivors of rape and sexual assault and we will do everything we can to identify offenders and put them in front of a court.

“If you’ve been a victim, please report rape or sexual assault as soon as possible. Even if you’re not 100 per cent sure, we’d sooner hear from you so that we can make sure you’re safe.”

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