A teenager has been sexually abused by her dad and partner after she tracked him down to escape an abusive home. Demi Howes, who is now 18 and bravely waived her right to anonymity, said she went to live with her father, Matthew Ward and his partner, Sophie Eason, when she found out he was her biological father at the age of 15.

But shortly after her 16th birthday, Ward told Demi he could now “do what he wanted” and began having sex with her. Eason became involved too and was party to the horrific abuse, which was discovered when Ward’s phone was seized by police following an unrelated incident.

In her Victim Personal Statement, which she read in court, Demi talked about how she tracked her father down on social media through Eason and went to live with them after escaping a chaotic and abusive home environment.

She said she was excited to finally find a place she could “be safe and belong” and be a normal teenager, but she “didn’t know what to do” when Ward kissed her at the age of 15, before having sex with her once she was 16.

“I wasn’t sure how to respond when [Ward] started flirting with me. When he started to sexualise me saying ‘I looked fit’ and I was ‘sexy’ I thought that maybe they were compliments. Maybe that was a normal thing dads do.

“I didn’t know what to do when he came into my bedroom when I was 15 and kissed me. When I turned 16, my dad told me I was 16 now, and he could do what he wanted. That’s when he started to get Sophie involved, and she would join in the abuse.

“It’s sick to think about, my own dad having sex with me and the woman I called mum joining in. At the time, I thought it was Dad and Sophie just being Dad and Sophie; they made me think it was normal. I get teased about what Sophie and Mathew did to me.”

She said some people still don’t believe her, and some of her family have rejected her. “I think it’s easier to blame me sometimes than admit what the defendants actually are,” she said.

Addressing the pair directly, Demi called them “dangerous paedophiles” who should never be allowed near children.

“I have night terrors and PTSD from what you did to me. I wet the bed and physically lash out and scream in my sleep, talking about what you did. I can still feel what you did when I go to sleep; it’s impossible to escape the trauma you have put me through.”

Officer in the case, Detective Constable Gabrielle Rouse, described Demi as an “extremely brave and tenacious young woman, who has fought for justice despite not having a secure support system around her”.

“The abuse inflicted on Demi by her own father and the woman she thought of as a mother is beyond harrowing. No child should have to go through what Demi has been through.

“Her courage has continued throughout the police investigation and court case, which can be extremely difficult for survivors of abuse.

“I know that Demi’s decision to speak out and waive her automatic anonymity was something she felt strongly about from the beginning, and I admire her resolve to share her story and allow us to report on the horrendous crimes of Ward and Eason.”

Police found messages that Ward had sent to another woman when they searched his phone, in which he was trying to instigate a sexual encounter between himself, Demi, and the woman.

Further examination showed messages which indicated Sophie Eason had also been involved in the abuse of Demi.

Ward, 37, of Boyer Street, and Eason, 30, of Teasel Grove, Derby, were arrested in March 2025 and subsequently charged.

The pair initially denied the charges against them, but on the first day of trial in September last year, they changed their pleas. Ward admitted to non-penetrative and penetrative adult sexual activity with a girl family member age 13-17, making indecent images of a child and distributing indecent images of a child.

Eason admitted to non-penetrative and penetrative adult sexual activity with a girl family member age 13-17.

They appeared at Derby Crown Court on June 12 where a judge handed Ward a prison term of 15 years and four months, and Eason a term of two years and eight months.

The pair were also given indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Orders, indefinite Restraining Orders in respect of Demi, and are required to register with the police indefinitely.

Source:  https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2218590/horror-dad-has-sex-daughter?int_source=nba