Jennifer Anne Deaves
On April 6, 2008, Australia's Channel Nine reported on the 60 Minutes program that Jennifer Anne Deaves, 39, and her father John, 61, both of South Australia, had each been convicted in March of two counts of incest, after having conceived two children in a consensual relationship.
Fast Facts
- Gave birth to two children by her father, John Deaves1
- Arrested in 20071
- Stayed with her father and his ex-wife four times before their marriage ended2
- First child, Jackson, died of congenital heart disease in 20013
- Second child was nine months old as of April 7, 20082
- Arrested in 20071
- John Deaves ex-wife denies that he and his daughter were apart for 30 years2
- Pled guilty on two counts of incestuous act2
- Found guilty of incest
- Sentenced to 3-year good behavior bond2
- Being monitored by police2
Backstory
Before they became a couple, the two had been estranged since Jennifer's infancy. At the age of 31, she reunited with her father, beginning a sexual relationship with him just two weeks after their reunion. Both were married at the time, and both ended their marriages shortly after meeting.4
Children
Though it was originally reported that the pair has had one child, a daughter named Celeste, court documents revealed that a previous child died of a congenital disease soon after birth.2 Later interviews with John Deaves' ex-wife Dorothy showed that, contrary to their testimony, the father-daughter couple had had contact numerous times before they began their adulterous relationship.2
Controversy
A Channel Nine report, available online, includes an interview with the couple, along with footage of their daughter. The program earned the network 1.5 million viewers, the highest ratings in that time slot.4 On April 9, The Brisbane Times reported that Channel Nine, who had paid the couple for the interview, was under police investigation regarding an Australian law that criminals are not allowed to profit from their crimes.5
Quotes from TV Interview
"It's everybody else out there in society that has the problem, we don't have the problem." —Jennifer Deaves6
"I was looking at him, sort of going, oh, he's not too bad...like you might look at a man across the bar at a nightclub." —Jennifer Deaves6
"We are just asking for a little bit of respect and understanding." —Jennifer Deaves6
"We don't see each other as father and daughter. I don't see John as my father, even though he is my biological father." —Jennifer Deaves6
"I met Jennifer and I realized she was a beautiful, desirable woman." —John Deaves6
"Of course I knew it was illegal, but you know, so what." —John Deaves6
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