A former soldier has been found guilty of raping a woman he met on an online swingers' dating site.

Ezra Robinson, who had a previous conviction for rape and was on the sex offenders' register, went on to have a two-year relationship with the woman and they had a child together. After their relationship soured, Robinson forced himself on the woman while she slept.

Robinson, a bodybuilder working on a building site, was able to use the Fabswingers website despite his previous conviction. The victim was unable to stop him from having sex with her against her will. He threatened to kill her if she went to the police, but she eventually summoned the courage to report him.

Former Royal Engineer Robinson, who served in mine and explosive clearing operations in Afghanistan, has been told to expect a jail term of at least seven years. Judge Stephen Climie at Exeter Crown Court ordered the probation service to assess whether Robinson poses a danger to the public.

Judge Climie adjourned sentencing until April and remanded Robinson in custody. He told him: "You have been found guilty of offences that warrant significant custodial terms."

Robinson, aged 31, originally from Moretonhampstead but of Lamb Park, Drewsteignton, denied rape but was found guilty by a jury at Exeter Crown Court. He was also convicted of coercive and controlling behaviour.

The jury reached their verdicts without being told that Robinson was a convicted rapist, though they were told he had previously been jailed for a "serious sexual offence." Judge Climie explained this decision to the jury after they had returned their verdict.

He said: "You were told he had a conviction for a serious sexual offence. It was rape but there is an inevitable prejudice that attaches to that word. One of the factors we have to look at when someone is convicted of rape more than once is what is called dangerousness, which has a very specific legal definition. This is probably a case where there needs to be a report."

The judge said a finding of dangerousness would lead to an extended period of licence added to any sentence Robinson might serve. He also said a probation report would look at Robinson's mental health issues.

During a ten-day trial, prosecutor Miss Kelly Scrivener said Robinson met the woman after contacting her through the Fabswingers website. The date went well and they went on to form a relationship. She found him attractive at first, describing him as "the energy in the room," but the relationship turned sour. On their final meeting, Robinson forced her to have sex.

Robinson told the victim he had a conviction for a sexual offence but tried to minimize it. He denied ever forcing her to have sex with him or using or threatening violence.

Robinson said all sexual contact with the woman was consensual and that he had been in the army for nearly five years and was previously married. He said he was working as a plant operator at a building site in Ivybridge at the time of his arrest.