A judge was surprised to receive a letter from a rape victim, asking her not to jail her father.
Prosecutors said that the father of Melbourne, Australia, raped his daughter for three years.
The abuse began when she was just 10 years old. In a victim impact statement that was read in the Victoria County Court, the teenager said that she forgave her father.
She also said that if her father will be ordered to serve time, she will visit him in prison. She went so far as to say that when the time comes, she wants her father to walk her down the aisle at her wedding.
The judge said that the father, who has not been named to protect his daughter, has shown remorse and understood the terrible effect his crimes had on his daughter.
The judge described the daughter as articulate and confident, and said that her statement clearly showed how she was dealing with the abuse.
The 54-year-old father pleaded guilty to incest and indecent assault. He was sentenced to five years in prison. He will have to serve two years and 10 months of his sentence before being eligible for parole.
