An Australian man and his adult daughter went public about their incestuous relationship after having a baby together, as it emerged that a previous child of the couple died a few days after birth.

John Deaves, 61, and his daughter Jenny, 39, have a 9-month-old daughter but have been banned from having sex after a court convicted the pair on two counts of incest.

“The couple are being monitored by the relevant authorities,” a South Australia state police spokesman told Reuters today.

The case provoked international media attention when the couple appeared on Australia’s 60 Minutes programme to explain their relationship, which began when the two were re-united eight years ago.

John Deaves left the family home when his daughter was one-year-old and did not see her again for 30 years. When they were reunited, she had already married and had two children.

But within weeks, the couple had started a sexual relationship.

“We’re normal intellectual adults who have had careers, had a normal life like everybody else but fallen in love with each other when we are biologically related,” Ms Deaves told the Nine network.

“We are just asking for a little bit of respect and understanding.”

The couple’s nine-month-old daughter, Celeste, was also on the programme and appeared to be healthy.

But the Australian Associated Press said on Monday that court documents showed they had another child in 2001 who died from congenital heart problems.

John Deaves, who is 61, said he knew it was illegal to have sex with his child but emotions soon overcame him.

“Emotions take over, as people no doubt realise, there are times during your life where emotions do rule the heart, it rules the head,” he said.

“I knew it was illegal, of course I knew it was illegal but you know, so what."

The South Australian couple, who bear a striking resemblance to each other, were both placed on three-year good behaviour bonds on March 20 after being convicted of two counts of incest each, a spokeswoman for the South Australian Courts Administration Authority said.

Steven Millsteed, the District Judge, said the case was not typical because although father and daughter, the pair were “virtually strangers” when their relationship commenced.

“This is not a case where a father has violated his daughter and used his position of authority to take advantage of her powerlessness,” he said.

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