A 53-year-old man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for having physically and sexually abused his two stepdaughters over a period of eight years, the first time a Slovenian court has handed down such a harsh sentence for crimes other than murder.

Thirty years is the second longest possible sentence after life in prison in Slovenia. It has been passed only 17 times before, but always for murder, according to the news portal N1. The defendant may still lodge an appeal.

The man was charged with eleven counts of criminal acts, mostly crimes against sexual integrity, including against persons under 15, the regional newspaper Gorenjski Glas reported. He was also charged with domestic violence, neglect of underage persons, cruelty, and for facilitating the taking of illicit drugs.

The abuse started when the girls, the older of whom is mentally impaired, were still underage. He had been reported to law enforcement by one of the victims when she moved out of the family home.

Kranj District Court judge Nina Prosen found the defendant guilty of all charges. She also extended his detention, while referring the victims to litigation to claim damages.

The District State Prosecutor's Office indicted the man last September. The trial started on 16 February and ended quickly, on 22 March. It was held behind closed doors to protect the victims, but the ruling was delivered publicly.

The man was initially prosecuted only for cruelty, domestic violence and sexual abuse, but it surfaced during the investigation that he had abused the girls for several years, so the prosecutor's office expanded the list of charges.