Father jailed for abusing his girls

Three sisters who were sexually abused by their father over many years in their Tauranga home are relieved he is finally behind bars.

The three say they can now get on with their lives and restore what family life they still have left.

"He deserves no mercy as he never gave me or my sisters any. In fact, he enjoyed reminding me constantly of what he did," one of the daughters told the High Court at Rotorua before her 62-year-old South Island-based father was jailed for 10 years.

The man was found guilty at a trial in July of 14 charges - seven of rape, five of indecent assault and one each of inducing an indecent act and of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection.

His wife, 58, was found guilty of a charge of being party to an indecent assault in that she watched and joked as her husband sexually assaulted one of their daughters.

She was sentenced to 14 months' jail and given leave to apply for home detention.

The man, whose name is automatically suppressed to protect the identity of his daughters, began offending in 1974 and continued until 1990 when all the girls had left the family home.

The court was told the abuse started when the girls were 5, 7 and 12. Their father has maintained his innocence.

As Justice Colin Nicholson detailed the offences the man whispered obscenities, prompting the judge to tell him he would leave the courtroom.

One of the daughters, now 35, spoke about being let down by her mother and how her life had been affected because of the sexual abuse she had suffered at the hands of her father.

She had tried to commit suicide many times, been depressed and had post-traumatic stress disorder.

"My whole life I have tried to put what he did behind me and get on with living and being happy. But nothing I ever did stopped the feelings of guilt and shame.

"I will never forgive him for what he has done and I will never forget it."

- NZPA