The Haifa District Court on Tuesday filed an indictement against a northern Israel couple for allegedly raping and sexually assaulting their daughter repeatedly over several years, getting her pregnant twice in the process.
According to the indictment, the father raped his daughter and committed lewd acts on her between her 17th birthday and as late as 2016.
The victim got pregnant twice, but the abuse continued even after she gave birth to a child who died nine months later due to a plethora of birth defects. The victim underwent an abortion in her second pregnancy.
The defendants allegedly continued to abuse the victim when she was nursing her sick baby, while she was hospitalized, and even while she was experiencing a deep emotional crisis following the death of her child.
According to the indictment, the father maintained a hostile atmosphere in the home and used physical and verbal violence against family members. The couple has five children.
The mother is also alleged to have taken part in the father's abuse after their daughter became an adult.
The host of severe genetic defects the victim's deceased child suffered from, aroused the suspicion of doctors who kept DNA samples from the baby and reported it to the police. An examination of the DNA revealed that the child's father was also the baby's grandfather, which led to a full-fledged investigation.
The father was charged with an indecent act, indecent assault, and sodomy, while charges of sodomy and indecent acts were laid against the mother.