A CO TYRONE father of 10 who systematically abused his three eldest daughters for years was jailed for 15 years yesterday at Belfast Crown Court for what the judge described as "despicable and contemptible behaviour".
The 53 year old man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his victims, was convicted earlier this month of 18 specimen charges including rape, attempted rape, indecent assault and gross indecency.
The jury took 73 minutes to find him guilty on all counts which dated back to between 1972 and 1981 when the girls were aged between six and 11.
During the two week trial the victims, now in their 30s, spoke of their hatred for their father, not only because of his sexual abuse but because of his general treatment of them.
The jury was told the man had burned toys on a bonfire, beaten the girls for disobeying orders, and killed a pet dog with a shotgun. He was described as "an animal".
Mr Justice Kerr said anyone who heard the women could not but be aware of the pall his activities had cast on their youth and the shadow it continued to cast on their lives.
"I cannot lose sight of the systematic character of the abuse of your young daughters and of how you cynically moved from one to the other as each approached the age of puberty, nor can I ignore your callous disregard for the effect your behaviour had on their young lives," he told the defendant.
"The sexual exploitation of a child by a parent is even more serious and reprehensible than by another adult, because it involves the betrayal of trust which a child is entitled to expect, and the parent taking advantage of his position of authority and influence."
The judge said such offenders were not only predators on their children's innocence but relied upon their silence, expecting the ordeal of unmasking their evil deeds would prove too much for the victims.
"But this case provides a clear message to those who might be tempted to indulge in such behaviour. Children do not forget. They remember, and can bring to mind with the starkest clarity, the details of their ordeal."
Mr Justice Kerr said the defendant had not shown "an atom of remorse". He had accused his daughters of conspiring together to hatch an evil scheme against him, and forced them to face sustained cross examination, seeking to portray them as "wicked in grates" rather than victims.
The man was jailed for 15 years on each of five specimen charges of rape, with lesser concurrent terms on the other counts.