A West Australian man has been sentenced to jail for sexually abusing his daughter, however the mother has been spared prison time despite failing to prevent the abuse.
The 36-year-old man, who has not been named, reportedly abused his daughter from the age of four but the abuse “intensified” around age 11 or 12, reports ABC.
The abuse continued until the girl told a relative and it was reported to authorities in December 2015.
The girl’s mother, 40, who also cannot be identified, pleaded guilty to a charge of engaging in conduct knowing it may result in harm to a child for failing to prevent the abuse from occurring after her husband reportedly confessed he had been abusing their daughter.
“Your main concern was to make sure your husband didn’t go to jail because you didn’t think you’d be able to cope without him,” Judge Troy Sweeney told the mother in court.
“You still don’t grasp how badly you let your daughter down and how selfish and self-serving your behaviour was.”
She was sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for 18 months.
Judge Sweeney spared the woman from jail time, explaining that he felt if both parents were imprisoned it would harm the girl more emotionally and practically, reports Sky News.
The man was sentenced to seven years in jail and must serve five before he can be eligible for parole.
