18.12.09

MAN accused of fathering four children with his own daughter has pleaded guilty to 13 charges including incest.

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http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/man-pleads-guilty-to-incest/story-e6frf7jx-1225811833885

Man pleads guilty to incest

  • From: AAP
  • December 18, 2009 4:12PM

A MAN accused of fathering four children with his own daughter has pleaded guilty to 13 charges including incest.

The man, aged in his 60s, is accused of repeatedly raping his daughter over three decades since the 1970s, starting when she was aged 11.

Appearing in the Victorian County Court via videolink today, the man - who cannot be named for legal reasons - pleaded guilty to 10 counts of incest, two of indecently assaulting a girl under 16 and one of common law assault.

He has been in custody since he was charged in Morwell, in Victoria's southeast, in February, and is due to appear in the same court for a pre-sentence hearing in February next year.

Victorian authorities have faced questions about what they knew about the alleged 30 years of abuse.

In September, Community Services Minister Lisa Neville resisted calls for her resignation after the case became public.

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Ms Neville admitted she and the Department of Human Services (DHS) secretary Fran Thorn knew nothing about it even though the alleged victim was cared for by authorities for some time.

Ms Neville directed Child Safety Commissioner Bernie Geary to investigate the case and what involvement the police, DHS, health professionals and other agencies had had with the family during the three decades.

The incest story broke shortly after the release of a damning report from Ombudsman George Brouwer, who raised serious questions about the department's capacity to protect children.

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