He could have never had to answer for his actions but it was without counting on the determination of his biological daughter.
This Tuesday, Carvell Bennett, 74, was caught up by his past.
Birmingham court sentenced him to 11 years in prison for the rape of a 13-year-old girl.
A rape committed in the 70s and not recognized by the authorities at the time.
The decision was made possible by the "relentlessness and determination" of the child born of this crime, who "sought justice in this case for herself and for her mother," said Judge Martin Hurst .
The case was revived after the victim's daughter campaigned for a reopening of the investigation and convinced her birth mother to press charges.
The accused refused to apologize during the trial
After the rape, the victim became pregnant and gave birth at 14 to a little girl, whom she had adopted.
The now adult child, who cannot be identified to protect her mother's identity, only discovered the truth about her conception when she was able to view her adoption record at 18.
A "terrifying" discovery, she told the court, saddened to be "the embodiment of one of the worst things that can happen to someone."
"Because you chose to rape a child, I was stolen my birth identity on the maternal and paternal side", accused the woman, regretting to suffer from "intergenerational trauma".
It was thanks to an analysis of his DNA that Carvell Bennett was formally identified as a father, although he had always denied his paternity.
The accused, who refused to apologize during the trial, admitted to the intercourse but claimed the victim consented and believed her to be 16 years old.
A "ridiculous" assertion according to Judge Hurst.
