New Zealand man, daughter convicted of incest conspiracy

WELLINGTON - A 58-year-old man and his 41-year-old daughter in New Zealand have been convicted of planning a sexual relationship, a media report said Saturday.

The accused, jointly charged with conspiracy to commit incest, were convicted in the Auckland District Court this week, New Zealand Herald reported.

The Auckland public official had lost his biological daughter when she was a child. The pair, who have permanent name suppression, met in August 2008 after the man tracked her down in Britain.

She flew to New Zealand for a two-week holiday and then kept in close contact by phone, email, text and webcam.

The correspondence expressed sexual attraction between the two. Experts call this the “phenomenon of genetic sexual attraction” between parents and children who meet for the first time as adults.

The daughter left her husband and their two children and returned to New Zealand in October 2008 to live with her father and his family.

The daughter’s husband in Britain became suspicious and hired a private investigator to tail the pair.

He then lodged a complaint with the New Zealand police, who laid charges in March last year of conspiracy to commit incest and committing incest.

The pair denied having sex and the more serious incest charge was later withdrawn by police.

But the case has destroyed the man’s 36-year marriage and relationships with his other adult children.

His occupation has been suppressed and he has been stood down for an internal inquiry.

She plans to stay here and hasn’t seen her children for two years.

The couple pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge and asked Judge Lindsay Moore to discharge them without conviction.

He refused, but gave them suspended sentences, so they escape further penalty unless they commit another crime.