Man jailed for 38 months for sexual assault

A 25-year-old man from Hordle has been jailed for 38 months for the sexual assault of a woman earlier this year.

Steven Christian, of The Pines, Hordle was sentenced at Southampton Crown Court last Thursday (12 October).

The offence took place in Burley on Saturday 1 July. At the time of the incident, Christian was already on licence from prison following a previous sexual offence.

Upon his release from prison, Christian will serve an additional five years on licence.

An indefinite restraining order was also granted, preventing Christian from having any contact with this victim.

Detective Constable Sarah Golding, of Southampton Criminal Investigation Department, said: “I am pleased with the sentence. The victim deserved justice for what happened to her, and I know she and her family will feel some relief this has been achieved.

“What Christian did to her is something that nobody should ever have to go through and the impact of this incident continuing to affect her daily life.

“To echo the judge, Christian’s actions were repugnant and totally self-centred. He has a complete lack of regard for others, and no legal or moral restraint in his pursuit of sexual gratification.

“While the sentence alone won’t rid the victim of the memory of what happened to her, I truly hope that it enables her to move forward, knowing that Christian is being held accountable for his crime.

“I also want to place on record my thanks to this woman for her courage and bravery in reporting the incident to us and supporting us in our investigation and ultimate prosecution of Christian.

“We would urge anyone else who has been a victim of such a crime to please report it to us.

“We do understand that it’s not always easy to report things of this nature, but if you do feel you can come to us, we will always take you seriously and will work hard to achieve justice for you.

“As this case has proven, if crimes like this are reported to us, we can take action and get justice for victims.”

As a survivor of sexual abuse, you’re entitled to support, whether you report the crime or not. You can access different types of support depending on how you’re feeling and what you decide to do next.

You can visit Support for rape and sexual assault | Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary to see the support on offer.

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.

If you’re not ready to talk to the police just yet, that’s OK. There’s a range of places to get support, advice and medical help.

You can speak to a number of organisations in confidence - what you tell them won't be shared with the police unless you ask for it to be.

For more information, please visit;

Support for rape and sexual assault | Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary

If you need to report an incident to us, you can do so by calling 101, or reporting online via the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary website.

You can also contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 and report incidents anonymously.