Inquiry into daughters' rape ordeal
An independent review is under way into the case of a rapist who fathered seven children with his two daughters.
The 56-year-old, who was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday, repeatedly raped his daughters, who between them went through 19 pregnancies, over a period spanning more than a quarter of a century.
His crimes have been likened to those of the Austrian rapist Josef Fritzl who kept his daughter locked in a cellar for 24 years, fathering seven children by her.
Judge Alan Goldsack QC ordered the Sheffield man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, to serve 25 life sentences that will run concurrently.
He said the minimum term the rapist should serve in jail should be 19-and-a-half years.
Sheffield City Council's Children and Young People's Specialist Services confirmed a Serious Case Review had been launched.
After the sentencing at Sheffield Crown Court, Chief Superintendent Simon Torr read a statement from the two victims.
The statement said: "Today this offender has been sentenced to life imprisonment. His detention in prison brings us only the knowledge that he cannot physically touch us again.
"The suffering he has caused will continue for many years and we must now concentrate our thoughts on finding the strength to rebuild our lives.
"We do not wish to comment further on the factors of the abuse we suffered and hope that answers will be found during the Serious Case Review."
