Children's entertainer David Payne faces life imprisonment after being found guilty of raping a young girl and indecently assaulting two others.

The parents of his victims, one of whom was as young as six when the 56-year-old began abusing her, sighed with relief as a jury at Swindon Crown Court returned unanimous verdicts.

Payne, a father of two who advertises his party magic shows in the Swindon Yellow Pages, shook his head as he was found guilty of the rape.

His wife, a midwife who was in the public gallery, showed no emotion.

The court was told after the verdict that Payne had previously admitted a further 10 offences, five on the three girls involved in the court case and the rest on three other children.

Judge John McNaught said he felt unable to sentence Payne yesterday and adjourned proceedings until Tuesday.

But he told him: "It is a case where I have to consider all the options including life imprisonment."

Payne, who lives in Burton near Chippenham, carried out the three offences between September 1995 and May 2000.

During the four-day trial, the court heard that he was often around children. A house-husband, he looked after his own children and in his spare time worked as a magician at children's parties.

He committed the first offence, an indecent assault on an eight-year-girl now 10 while giving her a lift home from a party.

Clutching a teddy, his victim sobbed as she told the court she had begged Payne to stop touching her.

Giving evidence via video-link she said: "I said 'don't do it'. I told him not to. He didn't say anything."

Payne indecently assaulted a 10-year-old girl, now 11, in May last year while reading her a story.

He invited her into his bed at his home and touched her improperly.

Payne was arrested for the rape after another girl, aged nine, told her mother he had attacked her. He had been assaulting her from the age of six.

He accepted indecently assaulting her but refused to accept there was a rape.

Payne's counsel suggested that the three offences had never happened and had been exaggerated and made up. But the girls repeated their claims.

While giving evidence, the balding magician, who moved to Wiltshire from Saudi Arabia 12 years ago, choked back tears.

Asked what he thought about his conduct after admitting other offences of indecent assault, he said: "Appalling. I am thoroughly ashamed and profoundly sorry."