A 52-year-old father of four was sentenced to 3½ years’ jail yesterday after it was discovered that he had been carrying on a nearly decade-long sexual relationship with his own stepdaughter.
The accused began having sex with the girl when she was only 15-years-old after he moved in with the girl’s mother in 2005. The girl’s mother had had an extramarital affair with the accused which led to the breakdown of her marriage to the girl’s biological father and subsequent divorce in 2004.
Following this, the man – who the girl referred to as “Uncle” – moved in with his lover, the girl and the girl’s younger brother. In the years to follow, the man began a secret sexual relationship with the girl which lasted until she was in her 20s.
The court heard that the relationship began on New Years Eve in 2005 when the man entered the room the girl was occupying with her brother and cousin and found the girl awake. The accused, who was then 40, touched and kissed the 15-year-old and proceeded to commit an indecent act before having sex with her, when she did not stop him.
Over the course of the next 9 years, the man continued having sex with her and their acitivites involved having unnatural sex. During this time, the girl reportedly had an abortion.
The relationship only ended when the girl was 24, in August 2015, when her boyfriend found lewd text messages by the girl’s stepfather to the girl. The girl admitted that the accused sent her such messages when he wanted to have sex.
The girl’s biological father subsequently found out about the relationship and lodged a police complaint on 11 Aug that year.
The accused pleaded guilty to three counts of carnal connection. He could have been jailed for a maximum of 5 years for each count.