A Taiwanese court has handed a father a seven-and-a-half-year prison sentence for repeatedly assaulting his two daughters while they slept, a rare case of a heavy penalty for abuse inside the family.

• The Miaoli District Court convicted the man on six counts of sexual assault and indecent acts against a person unable to resist.
• The abuse ran from 2008 to 2016, when the two girls were in high school and junior high.
• Judges said he abandoned his duty to protect his children to satisfy himself, leaving lasting damage to both daughters.
• He admitted what he did, but neither daughter has forgiven him, which weighed against any leniency.

Outlook: The sentence can still be appealed to a higher court, and support services remain available through Taiwan's child protection hotline.