A man convicted of raping his daughter has been sentenced to eight years in prison.

Deryck Forrest, 44, can expect to serve half of the sentence, less time already served, for the crime that took place on Halloween 2005.

The victim, Stephanie Webster, waived her right to anonymity and spoke exclusively to the Gravesend Messenger after his conviction on DNA evidence in the hope of encouraging others to find the same courage to come forward.

Judge Philip Statman said the 18-year-old from Gravesend had suffered great emotional trauma from her ordeal.

He said to Forrest, of Crundale Road, Gillingham, "You have absolutely no insight into your offending conduct. As your child, she was entitled to look to you for protection and for support and she was, as she appeared before me, a vulnerable young woman."

However, he did not believe an indeterminate sentence for public protection was necessary.

full story in this week's Gravesend Messenger print edition available Thursday, September 18