SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland — A 47-year-old Westmoreland man who impregnated his teenage daughter was on Friday sentenced to six years and seven months in prison.

The sentence was handed down by Supreme Court Judge Courtney Daye when the accused appeared in the Westmoreland Circuit Court.

The name of the father has been withheld to protect the identity of the teen.

The father had sex with his daughter during a period when she had stayed with him.

The court was told that at the age of 15 the girl’s paternal aunt noticed that she was pregnant and made enquiries. The girl reportedly told the aunt what had happened and a report was made to the police.

In his plea mitigation to the court the father expressed remorse and apologised for what he did.

However, in his defence, he told the court that he was without a woman in his life and that the incidents took place while he was under the influence of alcohol.

A DNA test confirmed that the girl’s father was the father of her child.

The father was represented by attorney Dionne Meyler Barrett and the Crown was led by Director of Public Prosecutions Paula Llewellyn.

Meyler Barrett started her mitigation plea with the words from reggae singer Queen Ifrica’s song Daddy, which states, “Daddy, don’t touch me there.”

However, she pointed out to the court that her client is not beyond redemption.

Meyler Barrett later told the Jamaica Observer that, “The man has vowed, on his return from prison, to provide financial support as requested by the complainant and her mother.”