OMG! This man reportedly raped his own daughter consecutively for a whole 20 years

A mother-of-two who was abused by her own father throughout her childhood has spoken out after he was jailed for 22 years.

Mandy Greenwood, 39, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, said: 'My dad used to tell me he only did it because he loved me. I was more like his wife than his daughter.

'Now he's in jail the sense of freedom and relief is incredible. He can never hurt another child again.

Mandy carried the terrible secret around with her for more than 20 years – and it was only after she confided in her husband, Dave, that she felt strong enough to seek help.

 

She has waived her right to anonymity in the hope that other victims of abuse will come forward too.

Mandy's abuse began at the age of seven, when her father, Keith Whitworth, now 61, came into her bedroom and woke her up during the night.

What began as touching became rape on an almost daily basis.

Mandy said: 'I would cry myself to sleep each night. There was nobody for me to confide in. I felt so alone and so sad. I wasn't close to my mum at all.

'Sometimes he would take me to the park – what seemed like a nice trip out – but he would abuse me then too.

'He would tell me: 'I'm only doing this because I love you.'

'In my child's mind, I thought of myself as his wife rather than his daughter.'

As a child, Mandy was given a choice at bedtime; she could either go to bed early or take a beating with her father's belt.

She said: 'My siblings would go to bed but I would take the belt because I didn't want to go to bed. I was scared of going to bed.

'It was a no-win situation and it was only as an adult that I realised how twisted and cruel he was.'

In a desperate effort to escape her home life, Mandy became pregnant. At 15, she had a daughter, and four years later she had a son.

She said: 'To me, sex was nothing special. It was a dirty, unpleasant thing. I wanted a baby because I needed my own family.

'When my daughter was born, I felt a surge of love and happiness that I had never experienced before. I left home and I was determined to be a good mum. It was my focus in life.'

Mandy did not return home and the abuse stopped. But her father lived nearby and she saw him on a regular basis.

She said: 'At first, I tried to keep a friendly relationship, for the sake of appearances. But he was very touchy-feely – always pushing the boundaries.

'The abuse was never mentioned. It was like the elephant in the room. It weighed me down, physically, all through my life.

'Once, I plucked up courage to ask him why he did it, and he replied: "I only did it because I loved you."

Realising she could no longer cope with him in her life, Mandy stopped all contact.

At the age of 20, Mandy met Dave, a friend of her brother. Despite being a single mother to two children already, she and Dave hit it off immediately.

Mandy said: 'Dave was like a breath of fresh air. He was a real giggle.'