THE abuse dished out by the rapist dad is one of Britain's worst-ever cases - and even stunned professionals used to dealing with harrowing cases.
A serious case review has now been ordered to determine whether the authorities could have done more to help the victims.
Jayne Ludlam, Sheffield Council's director of children and young people's services, said she and her colleagues had found it
"difficult to comprehend" how it could have happened in today's society.
The independent serious case review aims to find out what could have been done better and discover what can be learned.
Such reviews are usually undertaken when a child dies or suffers serious harm, and abuse is known or suspected to be a factor.
The Star Says: Horror beyond comprehensionMs Ludlam said: "This is one of the most harrowing cases we have dealt with and to say that we were shocked to find the level of abuse perpetrated is an understatement.
"It is hard to comprehend how this could happen in today's society."
But she added: "Cases of this type in this country are extremely rare and of course very distressing for the victims and all who know them.
"Since the disclosure of these awful crimes to one of our social workers in June, our priority, in partnership with all agencies, has been working with the victims to give them the support and care they need.
"The victims have clearly been traumatised by their experience and now need to be helped and allowed to recover, as far as may be possible, and move on with their lives.
"We will continue to work with the victims and offer all the support we can."
Ms Ludlam joined with representatives from the Crown Prosecution Service and South Yorkshire Police to welcome the dad's 25 life sentences handed down at Sheffield Crown Court.
She said: "We welcome the conviction in this case and the severity of sentence passed."
The serious case review will be the second in Sheffield this year - the first was held into the death of three-year-old Tiffany Wright at the Scarbrough Arms, Upperthorpe, through neglect by her mother and stepfather.
It found the pair manipulated health professionals to prevent them seeing the appalling conditions in which the youngster was forced to live.
But the review, which concluded earlier this month, also revealed social services failed to intervene despite a midwife raising suspicions 11 months before the little girl's death.
n A dedicated team of police officers and Crown Prosecution Service staff put together such a strong case that the dad responsible for the abuse had no choice but to plead guilty in court.
It meant that for once he spared his victims some suffering because they did not have to go through the ordeal of a trial.
Ian Keates, head of the complex casework unit for the South Yorkshire and Humberside group of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "The police and Crown Prosecution Service worked closely to ensure the case was prosecuted as rapidly as possible.
"We built a strong case so the defendant had no realistic option but to plead guilty.
"This meant his victims did not have to suffer the trauma of personally telling the court about the terrible things that had happened to them.
"The abuse to which the women have been subjected is beyond comprehension. In his treatment of his victims, the defendant sank to the most profound depths of depravity.
"He even refused to come into court, to face his victims, to listen to the case against him and hear the judge sentence him."
Mr Keates also joined with Chief Supt Simon Torr to praise the bravery of his daughters for the way they handled the case.
He said: "I have met the victims and it is clear that they have demonstrated great courage, both in coming forward to the police and being willing to see the case through.
"Whilst nothing will heal the pain they have suffered, we can only hope that they will now be able to take some comfort from the fact that justice has been served and that they can now, somehow, re-build their lives."
Chf Supt Torr said: "As far as the sentence goes, we are satisfied that he has received the strongest possible punishment."
He added: "The main concern of South Yorkshire Police and Sheffield Council is for these women who have been so badly affected and who have suffered such a terrible ordeal.
"We will continue to offer them our full support to get on with their lives. Since these matters were reported to South Yorkshire Police, the victims have been sympathetically and professionally supported.
"There has been a thorough and professional investigation since the moment the victims first disclosed the abuse."
SPECIAL REPORTThe family speaks out: Silent cries for help went unansweredThe family speaks out: Secret world of victimsCops failed rape family25 life terms - VIDEOMother turned blind eye to years of harmUnrepentant rapist was not mentally ill - 'just satisfying his urges'Fear made girls keep secret for two decadesVictims afraid of losing kidsREAD MOREMain news indexYour letters.
FeaturesMore Rotherham newsMore Doncaster newsMore Barnsley newsCheck out the very latest on South Yorkshire's roads - including live traffic cameras on Sheffield's commuter routes - with our Traffic sectionLatest sport.The full article contains 897 words and appears in Sheffield Star newspaper.
