Father accused of incest faces ACT Magistrates Court

On Friday, a court suppressed most of the details in the case including the man's age and locality.

Earlier this year, the allegations were reported to police online and officers started an investigation.

The man was arrested by police at his home about 12.15pm on Thursday.

He faced the ACT Magistrates Court on Friday, when he pleaded not guilty to incest, and two counts of committing an of indecency with a young person.

Special magistrate Sean Richter issued a non-publication order on the identity of the alleged child abuser, including his name, age, locality, occupation, timing of the charges, and names of any witnesses.

The identity of the complainants was already subject to an automatic prohibition on publishing any information which could directly or indirectly identify them.

This meant the name of the alleged offender could not be published by the media even before the order was made.

Defence lawyer Paul Edmonds had argued for an order for his client's name not to be published.

"Given the ubiquitous nature of social media these days, it could easily be the case that even people who are supporters of the complainants may unwittingly put information online," he told the court.

"There is the very real risk that without that order the complainants will be indirectly identified."

The court heard the girls were aged between 10 and 14 at the time of the alleged crimes.

Mr Richter granted the man bail with conditions not to contact his children or grandchildren, and not to to be alone with anyone under 18.

An exception was made for one family member.

The father was also ordered not to discuss the allegations with anyone except his wife.

Police state the investigation into this matter is continuing and additional charges may be laid.

The case is set to return to court in January.

READ ALSO:

"Anyone with information relating to this matter is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via the Crime Stoppers website, please quote reference number 7462129. Information can be provided anonymously," police said.

"There is no statute of limitations for sexual offences in the ACT. It doesn't matter how much time may have passed and it is never too late to report.

"If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual violence, you can report to police by attending a police station or calling ACT Policing Communications on 131 444. You can also submit an online report for historical sexual assault for incidents that occurred more than six months ago."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: