A 43-year-old man who attempted to have sex with his daughter was sentenced to three years in prison in Magistrates' Court.

Senior Magistrate the Wor. William Francis said the facts of the case were "terrifying'' to read.

A report prepared by the Physical Abuse Centre revealed the effect of incident on the 14-year-old girl had been "devastating'', he said.

At a court appearance in December, the accused admitted he had a long term problem with alcohol and had been drinking heavily on the night in question. A social inquiry report was ordered to assess the extent of the man's alcoholism.

"To your credit you do recognise drinking has taken you to rock bottom,'' Mr.

Francis told him. "To your credit you are trying to do something about your substance abuse problem.'' But he told the man he should have come to grips with the problem long before.

"This is a serious offence. By all the reports I have before me, the effect on your daughter has been devastating. The only explanation is your drinking problem.'' The victim and her mother reported the incident to St. George's Police Station on December 8.

A Police report showed the girl and her father went for a motor bike ride the previous evening. On returning home he summoned her into his bedroom, told her to remove her clothes and lie down.

The girl was afraid to object because the accused was drunk, the report said.

Mr. Francis credited the man for his guilty plea and efforts to overcome his drinking problem before passing sentence.