Report: Belgian father raped daughter twice a day for 20 years

BRUSSELS (BNO NEWS) -- An elderly Belgian man has been arrested on allegations he sexually abused his daughter over a period of at least twenty years, according to local media on Wednesday.

The French-language daily newspaper Le Soir reported that the man, who was not immediately identified, was recently arrested and subsequently confessed to raping his daughter.

The abuse started when the victim was 14 years old. The woman - who is now 34 - said she was raped by her father twice a day. The newspaper report said the father started abusing his daughter when his wife could no longer satisfy him.

A baby that was born as a result of the sexual abuse, when the girl was 14, was given away for adoption.

The girl's mother and brother - part of a poor family - both said they were not aware of the abuse.

The case carries echoes of the case of Josef Fritzl - an Australian arrested on April 26, 2008. He was later convicted of enslavement, incest, rape, coercion and false imprisonment of his daughter, Elisabeth Fritzl.

Josef held Elisabeth captive for 24 years in a concealed part of the basement of their family home. She was raped numerous times and gave birth to seven children and one miscarriage. Josef also pleaded guilty to charges of murder by negligence of his infant son/grandson, Michael. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison.

Since then, a number of similar cases around the world have been discovered.

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