'Gaffer' behind a reign of incest terror for more than 30 years

HE called himself "the gaffer" and to his neighbours, both in a Sheffield street and later in Lincolnshire, the family's circumstances must have appeared strange and worrying.

Yesterday it emerged some of those who had lived alongside them called the authorities to report their suspicions of abuse and incest but were ignored by social workers and doctors.

What went on behind the closed doors of almost 70 different houses for more than 30 years has defied description and prompted shock and revulsion.

For many agonising years, starting in the late 1970s, two girls were repeatedly raped by their father, a man who refused to stop when they tried to repel his sickening advances leading to 18 incestuous pregnancies.

They had bruises and other injuries which should have immediately triggered alarm bells for social workers and health professionals, but each of those signs were ignored.

The two girls were effectively condemned to a horrifying life in which they were beaten and sexually abused on an almost daily basis, and later were even abandoned by their own mother.

Each time they became pregnant, the victims were taken to see doctors. Despite several miscarriages and terminations, no suspicion was raised and no formal action was taken.

In some cases, miscarriages were covered up by the family; one foetus was flushed down a toilet and two of the eldest girl's babies died just before they were due, causing severe emotional distress.

Seven children were born and survived as a result of the abuse, and doctors advised the girls not to have any more babies by the father of those children because of concerns over their health.

Medics realised incest was likely, but they failed to stop the girls being returned to their father, where they would face further exploitation and attacks.

The terrible ordeal ended in 2008, when one of the daughters finally revealed to a social worker in Sheffield that she and her sister had been kept as sex slaves by their father for years.

The father has, to this day, refused to appear in public to face up to his crimes, and would not enter the dock at Sheffield Crown Court throughout his trial, preferring to stay in a cell in the court building.

Those who did sit through the harrowing evidence, including the Recorder of Sheffield Judge Alan Goldsack QC, found it inconceivable that one man could cause so much misery.

The judge was told by prosecuting barrister Nicholas Campbell QC the attacks on the two daughters began when they were aged between eight and 10.

When they tried to resist they were beaten and would have their faces held to a gas fire until their skin began to burn.

On occasions when their injuries were too obvious they were kept from school and when questions began to be asked in Sheffield, the father decided to move to Lincolnshire to escape scrutiny.

His wife eventually walked out, leaving her daughters and their son to live with the man who was described as a "Jekyll and Hyde character with a one-second fuse".

Even the barrister defending the rapist father, James Baird, questioned why social services in both Sheffield and Lincolnshire failed to pick up on the appalling behaviour of his client.

The two daughters and their surviving children have been protected by court orders which should prevent them being named for the rest of their lives.

The pair released a statement through the police which spoke of their suffering which they said they expected to "continue for many years".

Yesterday's review sought to bring an end to the episode for the social workers and doctors who failed in their duty to protect the girls. But it is likely to take more than that to help the victims rebuild their lives.

Alarm bells that went unheard by children's charity

SHEFFIELD 1975-1988

DURING the first period that the family lived in Sheffield, alarm bells were already being sounded by school, hospital and ambulance staff worried about the neglect of the two victims and their brother.

At that time, some cases of child cruelty were still dealt with by the NSPCC and the family were referred to the charity six times between 1975 and 1978 but little action was taken.

According to the review of the case, the children's parents became more hostile to social workers during the early 1980s and professionals had "difficulty gaining access to the family home".

Workers were already "afraid" of the father and despite reports of injuries to the children and concerns over their hygiene and poor school attendance they did not act.

In fact, it is thought no formal assessment of the children took place whatsoever, although it was obvious they could be the victims of physical abuse and were living in abject poverty.

The family had a history of alcohol misuse and domestic violence but the effect of this on the youngsters "was not considered" by social workers, despite complaints from their headteacher and health visitor.

"There was enough evidence to result in the three children being removed to be looked after by the local authority," the review says. "There were numerous opportunities, which were missed individually and collectively.

"There was unrealistic optimism about the cooperation of the parents and the progress of the children. Where injuries were identified as non-accidental the children were still not moved to a place of safety.

"The responses of the services were not sufficiently effective in protecting the victims and they went on to experience years of physical, sexual and emotional abuse."

The report says the fact the children even survived into adulthood says a lot about their "resilience" and adds that the system as it was at the time had been "completely inadequate to meet the challenges presented".

Yesterday the NSPCC apologised for its role in the affair, and a spokesman said: "Since the 1970s, the way such cases are handled has moved on considerably."

Family kept on move to avoid scrutiny

SHEFFIELD 1988-2004

The family first moved to Lincolnshire in 1988 for only a short period, returning to Sheffield before making the move on a permanent basis in 1992.

The father of the girls repeatedly moved his family in a bid to ensure his vile activities were not detected by neighbours and did not attract the attention of the social services.

Between 1988 and 2002, the two girls became pregnant 16 times, with either one of them being pregnant every year, sometimes twice a year.

On four occasions the daughters were pregnant at the same time.

In 1992 the mother of the two girls moved out the family home and abandoned them to the attentions of their father – who apparently "took pleasure" in what he was doing to his daughters.

According to the review there was "increasing professional suspicion" about the pregnancies and there were seven allegations regarding incest made by professionals and even family members.

The girls were asked on 23 separate occasions about the

paternity of their children by various agencies but not one began an investigation or

took genetic tests which could have proved what was happening.

By 1997, the sisters had lost nine babies or pregnancies as a result of genetic disorders that could only have occurred when the gene abnormality responsible was being carried by both parents.

But the father continued to be aggressive in all his dealings with the authorities and the report says professionals considered that there was "nothing that they could do".

As the surviving children began to grow up, some workers voiced concerns the father could target his abusive behaviour on a second generation.

Emphasis began to move from the victims of the incest to the health needs of the children, meaning that any investigation into the father's conduct was sidelined.

During their time in Lincolnshire the family had 38 different tenancies and some professionals raised their concerns about the frequent house moves and the motives which lay behind them.

But no action was taken, and council staff "supported the family to acquire new tenancies rather than assessing the moves as an indicator for the need to protect the children."

Incest warning that city carers ignored

SHEFFIELD 2004-2008

One of the sisters and her children moved back to Sheffield in 2004.

Her sister and their father followed in 2005 after a short spell living in Rotherham.

The major focus remained, however, on the needs of the children.

At yesterday's press conference, it was revealed that by this time, the father was suffering from health problems but the review says he was still a "significant factor" in the families' lives.

He was apparently still able to "assert significant authority and control which would have inhibited any willingness" of the two victims to talk about the physical and sexual abuse he was still inflicting on them.

According to the review, an opportunity to assess the family was missed by social workers despite the fact that information about suspicions of incest had been passed to them from Lincolnshire.

Sheffield's agencies also had access to historical information relating to the victims from the late 1970s and early 1980s, which identified the father as a "violent, aggressive man who was controlling and domineering".

There was also the evidence gathered almost 30 years before about previous physical harm to the three children who were now adults, with their own young children.

But the significance of this was not picked up by those dealing with the family and the review says there "appears to have been no acknowledgement of any potential risks" that the serial rapist may have offered to the new children in his family.

During the four years in Sheffield, the family moved house again nine times and the review says this "could and should have raised questions about the reasons, which needed following up".

The lack of interest in these signs probably led to "the events going undetected for longer than would have been the case".

Sheffield Council said yesterday that when the disclosure of the 30-year ordeal was made by one of the victims in early 2008, its services "worked speedily and in a co-ordinated, planned way to provide the required support."

But it is not clear that the abuse would have stopped or even been detected by the authorities if the victims had not come forward and revealed to social workers what had been happening to them.Echos of Austrian incest monster who imprisoned daughter

The horrific case has echoes of the incest carried out by Austrian Josef Fritzl, left, who imprisoned his daughter in the cellar of their family home and fathered her seven children.

To his neighbours in the town of Amstetten, he was a dedicated family man, but in reality, he led a double life, abusing Elisabeth for 24 years.

One child died moments after birth, three were forced to live with their mother in the squalid basement, while the others were adopted by Fritzl and his wife. He told his daughter if she ever tried to escape she would be killed, as he had booby-trapped the cellar door.

Release came when the eldest child, Kerstin, 19, fell critically ill. He took her to hospital and later agreed Elisabeth could visit, enabling her to finally go to the police.

A catalogue of failings

Professionals at first "failed to listen and consider the situation from the child's point of view".

Too much emphasis was placed on caring for children and not enough on investigating the father.

Professionals were frightened, both of confronting family members, who were aggressive, and of the risk of legal action.

In the 1970s and 80s professionals took the word of parents at face value and failed to see the children.

There was a lack of effective record keeping, which meant abuse fears were not passed on.

After the move to Lincolnshire, an opportunity to assess the family was missed, despite warnings from Sheffield.

Seven allegations of incest were made, but none were followed up or investigated.

Concerns were kept informal, when complaints should have been made properly to senior managers.

After the family moved back to Sheffield, no formal information was shared about suspicions of incest.

There was never an assessment of the family by social workers, and only "significant misplaced optimism".