A 32-year-old man and his 18-year-old daughter have admitted having an incestuous relationship.
The two people appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday charged with committing incest between August 2010 and May this year, knowing of their relationship as parent and child.
They were remanded for sentence on August 28 but, at the request of counsel Bernadette Farnan and public defender Andrew Dawson, Judge Stephen O'Driscoll entered no conviction.
Both intend seeking a discharge without conviction.
Ms Farnan said there were psychiatric and psychological issues which needed clarification.
Her client, an 18-year-old solo mother, would be seen by an experienced psychiatrist.
Mr Dawson said the psychologist was not immediately available so the lengthy adjournment before sentencing was needed.
The summary of facts was not read to the court, but Judge O'Driscoll said it could be published without any details which could identify the two people, both of whom have name suppression.
Information in the summary was that the man fathered his daughter when he was 14 years old.
Because of his age at the time of the girl's birth, he had little contact with her until she was about 16.
He had been told he was the girl's father.
When the girl was a teenager, she was made aware of the identity of her father.
The father made contact with his daughter's family in 2010. A visit was arranged and, after several more visits, the father moved into his daughter's family's home.
During that time, a relationship developed between the two which became a sexual relationship in August 2010.
The girl and her family moved south early last year and her father moved with them.
The sexual relationship continued, resulting in the birth of a child.
After a complaint to the police, both were interviewed last month and freely admitted their sexual relationship and that they knew they were biological father and daughter.
The young woman said she was in love with the man, her father, and they had been living as husband and wife.
