GenQ

Claims that a man in an incestuous relationship with his daughter had not seen her for 30 years have been dispelled by the man’s ex-wife.

John Deaves and his daughter Jenny were sentenced to a three-year good behaviour bond on March 20, after they pleaded guilty to two counts of performing an act of incest.

Mr Deaves' ex-wife Dorothy, 69, told ninemsn that when she married John Deaves in 1984, the then 15-year-old Jenny stayed with them for a week.  The couple married long after Mr Deaves split with Jenny's mother.

Dorothy revealed that Jenny had stayed with her and John a total of four times before their marriage broke down in 2000, after the father and daughter took a trip to Dubbo together.

"It was hard to face for a long time," Mrs Deaves said.

"It's one of those things everyone's so upset about."

The father/daughter couple’s first child died from congenital heart disease days after birth, court documents have shown. Celeste, the couple’s second child is now nine months old, and appeared fit and healthy when shown on television last night.

Mr Millsteed said at the time he took concerns about the health of children born from incestuous relationships into consideration while deciding a sentence.

“Relevant factors include: the need to prevent the high risk of congenital defects of children born of incestuous relationships; and to prevent children, who are brought up in a family unit founded on an incestuous relationship, suffering psychological harm and social stigmatisation,” he said.

Mr Millsteed also said the couple had agreed to not have sex with each other again.

“You both say that you accept your sexual relationship must end, but hope that you will be able to continue to support one another and the children.”

The couple initially met after a long absence when Jenny was 31 and just two weeks after the meeting, father and daughter had sex.

Mrs Deaves spoke openly when interviewed on the Nine Network’s 60Minutes show last night.

"John and I are in this relationship as consenting adults,"

"We are just asking for a little bit of respect and understanding."

Mrs Deaves brought two children, Samantha and Alex, into the relationship after splitting from her former partner.

Mr Deaves admitted that he "initially" thought having sex with his daughter was wrong.

"Emotions take over, as people no doubt realise, there are times during your life where emotions do rule the heart, it rules the head," he said.

"I knew it was illegal, of course I knew it was illegal but you know, so what."

Mrs Deaves described the physical relationship with her father as like "a sexual relationship with any other man".

For Mr Deaves the sexual relationship was "absolutely fantastic".

A US psychologist told 60 Minutes the Deaves's relationship was an example of "Genetic Sexual Attraction".

He said the phenomenon was not rare, and society would be surprised at how prevalent it was.

The Deaves's relationship is deemed by Australian authorities as incestuous and therefore illegal.

A South Australian police media spokesman said "the couple was being monitored".

Tags: incest