Father who repeatedly raped daughter told police 'it was fun while it lasted', court hears

Court in Western Australia sentences the 42-year-old to 22 and a half years in jail

The girl was just 11 when the abuse started (Rex Features)

A father has been jailed for 22-and-a-half years for repeatedly raping his daughter and allowing strangers to abuse her as well.

The man admitted 61 offences against his daughter, who cannot be named for legal reasons, between 2013 and 2015 at the District Court of Western Australian in Perth.

The court heard that after his arrest he told police that although he regretted his actions he thought it “was fun while it lasted”.

The girl, who was living with her father after her parents separated, was aged between 11 and 13 at the time.

The 42-year-old father had also arranged for seven other men, whom he had met after putting up adverts on Craigslist, to rape her while he watched and sometimes participated.

The girl was also forced to pose for pornographic photos and videos.

On one occasion the father and another man were filming raping the girl as she was shackled to the bed with her face covered and forced to wear a dog collar with the word “b****” written on it.

In the footage the girl is seen struggling and begging for her father to stop, the West Australian reported.

The abuse was discovered following an anonymous tip-off from a member of the public in April last year. Police removed the girl from the home and later charged the seven men with 503 offences between them.

One of the convicted men, married Christian pastor David Volmer, was sent to prison for at least eight years and six months last year.

Another, Benjamin Simon Clarke, was jailed for three years earlier this month for taking explicit photos of the child.

Mark Wesley Liggins, who was arrested as part of the investigation but not accused of abusing the victim directly, was sentenced to two years.

Nicholas Adam Beer pleaded guilty to 163 charges and is expected to be sentenced in November.

Another three men arrested in connection with the case still have their cases pending.

Prosecutor Justin Whalley described it as one of the worst child sex abuse cases to come before the court in the history of the state.

He said the girl was entitled to look to her father for protection but instead she got abuse and degradation.

He told the court: “In terms of his remorse, we say, if it exists, it is certainly belated.”

Summing up the case, Judge Philip Eaton said the abuse was likely to have “lasting and irreparable consequences” for the girl.

He said: “You completely disregarded her welfare. I have no doubt that you derived perverse sexual enjoyment while doing so.

“You in fact allowed complete strangers to treat your daughter as a sexual object and treated her like that yourself.”