A PERVERTED Rossendale father who raped his own daughter two or three times a week for three years, has been locked up for 14 years.

The man first struck when the terrified girl was just 10, forcing himself on her in the attic, despite her screaming and pleading with him to stop.

The girl finally burst into tears and told her mother what had been happening. Her father had warned her to keep quiet about his sordid behaviour and threatened he would beat her up if she had resisted his sexual demands, Burnley Crown Court was told.

The hearing was told when the defendant was arrested, he denied his daughter's allegations completely and claimed it was a vendetta against him. But, but he later confessed to his father when he went to see him in prison.

The defendant had left his victim suicidal, scared, tearful and needing counselling. The girl was glad her father was behind bars, but was frightened of him being released. The defendant admitted specimen charges - six of rape of a child under 13, one of rape, three of sexual assault and an allegation of assault causing actual bodily harm. He was placed on the sex offenders' register for life and given a lifetime sexual offences prevention order, banning him from having unsupervised contact with children under 16. The defendant was disqualified from working with children for life.

Emma Kehoe, prosecuting, said the victim eventually told her mother her father had had sex with her for the first time when she was 10.

Mrs Kehoe said police were called, officers arrived and the girl was shaking with fear. She was taken to the Safe Centre in Preston, was examined and was very distressed. She had bruises on her body.

The prosecutor said later the defendant's father visited his son whilst he was on remand. He didn't believe his son could have done what was alleged against him. "He asked him what it was all about and he broke down and admitted to his father that everything his daughter was saying was the truth."

Mrs Kehoe said in her personal statement, the victim said she felt very scared, disgusted and horrible about what had happened to her. She didn't think she could tell anybody at first. Her father had told her he would hurt her and she was in fear a long time. The girl said the defendant had told her he would crash the car with her in it and beat her up if she didn't do it.

The prosecutor went on :" She still feels angry. She says inside she is all messed up and she doesn't know what to do. She is glad he is in jail, but is scared about what he will do when he gets out." The girl had added:" He has hurt me for a long time. I just want to be able not to think about it anymore, because it makes me feel horrible inside." Mrs Kehoe said the victim said she felt unhappy about life in general and was often tearful.

Graeme Tindall, for the defendant, said he had never sought to blame the victim or minimise the seriousness of his behaviour. There was no suggestion he was a predatory offender.

The solicitor continued :" It would appear he has a clear understanding of the devastating effects his offending behaviour has had upon his daughter."

Sentencing, Judge Andrew Woolman told the defendant: "You appear to have regarded your own sexual needs as dominating everything."

The judge, who said the defendant had no previous relevant record, added his admissions to his father had been a "very unusual step."

Judge Woolman said the defendant's behaviour had been a " serious catalogue of offences." He added:" It's difficult to imagine, in many ways, a worse case than this."