The 69-year-old man from the village of Willmersbach has admitted to sex with his now 46-year-old daughter, while claiming it was all consensual. Prosecutors argue, however, he forced himself upon her for decades.

One witness from a neighbouring town told the Nuremberg-Fürth court that rumours of a relationship had been widespread for years, although he himself didn’t have contact with the family.

Another man who knew the defendant for about 30 years said that he had twice seen the pair in parked cars along secluded paths but didn’t “attach so much importance” to what he had observed.

He told the court that local residents had discussed the relationship between closed doors.

“They wondered why (the victim) went along with it,” he testified, adding that he had himself wondered why authorities had never done anything about the relationship.

Once about 20 years ago, he claimed, he spoke with a government employee about the situation but it was made cleared officials would not investigate because they found the family aggressive.

According to other witnesses, Adolf B. was generally peaceful as long as he was not drunk. His relationship with his daughter was described as “harmonious” by one witness.

The former mayor of the municipality of Gerhardshofen, which Willmersbach is part of, testified that despite the fact that he had heard rumours, it had been made clear to him that he had to catch the couple in the act of sex in order to press charges.

The trial will continue until December 19, when a verdict is due. Family members are due to appear before the court but are likely to exercise their right to refuse to testify against the father and daughter.

The Local/DAPD/mdm