A man who fathered nine children with his two daughters had attracted official suspicion but avoided detection for decades by moving his family frequently and intimidating his victims into silence, British prosecutors say.
Authorities were investigating on Wednesday how the rapist was never called to account by neighbors, teachers, doctors, social workers, police or his extended family. The 56-year-old man was only apprehended when his daughters finally broke their silence.
He was sentenced on Tuesday to life in prison for what a judge said was “the worst [case] I have come across” in 40 years of judicial practice.
Prosecutors told the court that the man raped his daughters from the time they were eight or 10 years old, beating them when they resisted. Over a 25-year period he impregnated them 19 times and they bore seven surviving children. Two more infants died at birth, while the other pregnancies ended in abortion or miscarriage. None of the family can be named because of reporting restrictions to protect the identity of the victims and their children.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Wednesday that people “will rightly want to know how such abuse could go on for so long without the authorities and the wider public services discovering it and taking action.”
Britain’s child welfare services are already under pressure after the case of “Baby P,” a toddler who suffered months of abuse that led to his death, despite repeated visits by social services staff in London.
“If there is a change to be made in the system and the system has failed, we will change the system as a result of the inquiries,” Brown said.
Authorities in Sheffield said they had begun an investigation.
“Where were the medical professionals? Where were the social workers? What were they doing for the last 20 years?” said Nick Clegg, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrats, who represents a district of Sheffield.
One answer is that some did notice. At various points police, schools and medical staff all asked questions about the daughters’ situation — but the daughters denied anything was wrong and the pieces were never put together.
The Sheffield case has echoes of the allegations against Josef Fritzl, the Austrian accused of keeping his daughter locked in a cellar for 24 years, fathering seven children by her. He is awaiting trial on charges of murder, rape, incest, false imprisonment and enslavement.
Prosecutors described how the defendant used intimidation, fear and evasiveness to keep his secret. He warned his children to keep quiet and when they were older he beat them. Each daughter said she was unaware the other was being abused until the pregnancies began.
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