Father raped daughter, sexually abused stepdaughter

A 53-year-old father who sexually abused his stepdaughter for nearly a decade and raped his biological daughter while his wife was in the shower was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Friday (November 16).

The man, whose name cannot be disclosed to protect the identity of the victims, pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court to six counts: one count each of rape, aggravated sexual assault by penetration and sexual harassment, and three counts of sexual harassment of a minor under the age of 14.

A further eleven charges of sexual abuse were taken into account in the verdict.

The court heard that the man worked as a warehouse manager and married the biological mother of the two victims in 2001, when the stepdaughter was about two years old. The mother’s former husband died in 1999.

Sexually abused stepdaughter from 2007

The man sexually abused the stepdaughter from 2007, when the girl was in fourth grade, until her 19th birthday in late 2016.

Once in 2007, the man asked the girl to sit on his lap after she came home from school and showed her a pornographic video while groping her.

A few months later, he sexually abused her in the master bedroom. He continued to abuse her on multiple occasions.

After a sex education class in 6th grade, the victim began to resist the man’s advances by pretending to sleep on her stomach, crossing her legs, or kicking him. Despite this, he persisted.

At some point in 2010, when the stepdaughter was in secondary school and sleeping in her room, the man took off her pants and performed sexual acts on her. She kicked his arm with her leg to make him stop, but he was undeterred.

Sexually abused biological daughter from 2014

In 2014, the man began abusing his biological daughter when she was 12 years old. He started with kissing her and then moved on to groping her in early 2015.

On one occasion, the man groped his daughter while she was sleeping. She was aware of his actions but pretended to continue sleeping.

At some point in 2016, the daughter was walking through the living room to leave the apartment for school when the man stopped her and laid her on the sofa. She told him she was on her period and he performed a sexual act on her.

Sometime between September and November 2016, he raped his daughter in her bedroom while his wife was showering in another room. She was 14 at the time. He ignored her pleas to stop and only stopped when he realized his wife had finished showering.

In late 2016, after the 16-year-old daughter took a sex education class at school, she told her father that she did not like what he was doing to her. He stopped sexually abusing his daughters.

The man’s crimes came to light in April 2017 when his stepdaughter reported the incident to the police following an argument with her parents.

A psychiatrist who examined the daughter concluded that she was “disgusted, disappointed and angry at her father for what he had done to her.” The daughter said she kept thinking about the sexual assault and had brief flashbacks, which left her disturbed and sad. She also told the psychiatrist that she did not report the sexual abuse sooner because she was afraid it would break her family apart.

Rape can result in up to 20 years in prison and a fine or caning. Severe sexual assault through penetration can result in between eight and 20 years in prison and at least 12 caning strokes.

Sexual abuse is punishable by up to two years in prison, a fine, caning or a combined penalty. Sexual abuse of a minor under 14 is punishable by up to five years in prison, a fine, caning or a combined penalty.

Male offenders over 50 may not be punished with the cane.

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