WELCOMING her partner's long-lost daughter into the family was just a natural reaction from mum Marie Betts.
After 15 years with Andrew Butler, 47, Marie encouraged him to be the doting dad he was to their two children, to the little girl he had left when she was just six years old.
Within a couple of months of being reunited with her dad, Nicola Yates, 26, spent Christmas with the family.
But factory worker Andrew had become secretive and Marie suspected he was having an affair.
However, never in her worst nightmares did she think he was in an incestuous relationship with Nicola.
Here, in an exclusive interview with The Sun, Marie reveals how her discovery led to the conviction of the pair — a story that shocked the nation.
Full-time mum Marie, 36, from Lichfield in Staffordshire, says: "Andrew had started being very possessive about his phone.
"Before he would leave it lying around but suddenly he wouldn't let it out of his sight.
"This odd behaviour made me really suspicious. I was desperate to find out whether he was having an affair.
"He left his coat draped over the chair while he went to the car one evening and I couldn't help myself from sneaking a peek.
"With horror I discovered a stream of dirty texts.
"When I looked at the sender I thought I was going to be sick — they were from his own daughter Nicola.
"I read one and it described them spending a night in bed together. I was in complete shock.
"Incest is a crime and I knew I needed to take his phone without him noticing and shop him to the police.
"This act was so vile, I could no longer recognise the man I loved for 15 years. We had two children together and I thought we were soulmates."
Marie slipped the phone back into his coat and waited for two days until their next date together.
They lived separately in Birmingham because, Marie says: "We were very much in love, but never felt the need to live in each other's pockets.
"I put on a brave face when I saw Andrew. He went into the bedroom and left his phone in the living room.
"I grabbed it and told him I was nipping to the local shop.
"I drove round the corner and parked up. I looked at his photos and couldn't believe my eyes.
"There were photos of Nicola in her underwear in her dad's flat and pictures of them having sex. I burst into tears, I was hysterical. There were hundreds of messages.
"How could he do this with his own daughter? He had been sleeping with me too. It was the ultimate betrayal.
"I went back to the flat and Andrew said he was leaving as he needed to find his phone. Then I marched to the police station with the phone and was interviewed for five hours.
"Two days later he was arrested."
Marie could never have imagined this horror when she met timid Nicola.
Marie says: "Andrew and Nicola had been reunited through the family tracing website Genes Reunited in October 2006, when Andrew got a message from his long-lost daughter.
"I told him he must contact her, she was obviously desperate to be reunited.
"A week later Andrew brought her to my house. I welcomed Nicola into our lives with open arms and tried to make her feel part of the family.
"Within four weeks Nicola had started staying at Andrew's flat."
Three months later, Marie invited Nicola to spend Christmas Day at her home with the family.
Marie says: "As we opened gifts Nicola refused to get involved and would only talk to Andrew.
"She was really quiet and wouldn't leave Andrew's side. She was sitting on his knee like a little child.
"I thought it was a bit weird but didn't question it at the time. I felt sorry for her and thought it must be intimidating to have a new family."
Just two weeks later heartbroken Marie discovered the sickening texts.
In May 2007, at Birmingham Crown Court, Andrew and Nicole both pleaded guilty to having sex with an adult relative.
Andrew was given a four-month jail term while Nicola was sentenced to an 18-month supervision order.
Marie says: "I knew I had done the right thing going to the police. Although we had children together I could no longer bear to be with him. I was disgusted and the thought of being around him made me feel sick."
Marie ended her relationship with Andrew and moved out of the area.
She says: "From the moment I turned him into the police, me and the kids had nothing more to do with him.
I still knew of his whereabouts as my father worked with him, though they never spoke.
"I heard Andrew had a new girlfriend. My dad said he was always on the phone to her at work."
Then Marie discovered the police were investigating Andrew again.
She says: "Deep down I had a feeling it had to do with Nicola. I then found out they had started their relationship again.
"I cried my eyes out. It brought it all back again. Nicola's half-sister had discovered sexual photos of Nicola and Andrew together on her mobile phone.
"She told her mum, who confronted her daughter before reporting the couple to the police."
At Birmingham Crown Court on August 4 this year Butler was jailed for ten months and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for ten years.
Nicola was sentenced to 26 weeks in jail suspended for two years.
For Marie the latest discovery has brought back painful memories.
She says: "I couldn't let a man touch me for three years after what happened. I still feel completely betrayed and find it hard to trust men.
"Even to this day it makes me feel sick to think he was sleeping with me and his daughter at the same time."
"Incest is a crime and I knew I needed to take his phone without him noticing and shop him to the police.
"This act was so vile, I could no longer recognise the man I loved for 15 years. We had two children together and I thought we were soulmates."
Marie slipped the phone back into his coat and waited for two days until their next date together.
They lived separately in Birmingham because, Marie says: "We were very much in love, but never felt the need to live in each other's pockets.
"I put on a brave face when I saw Andrew. He went into the bedroom and left his phone in the living room.
"I grabbed it and told him I was nipping to the local shop.
"I drove round the corner and parked up. I looked at his photos and couldn't believe my eyes.
"There were photos of Nicola in her underwear in her dad's flat and pictures of them having sex. I burst into tears, I was hysterical. There were hundreds of messages.
"How could he do this with his own daughter? He had been sleeping with me too. It was the ultimate betrayal.
"I went back to the flat and Andrew said he was leaving as he needed to find his phone. Then I marched to the police station with the phone and was interviewed for five hours.
Affair ... daughter Nicola
"Two days later he was arrested."
Marie could never have imagined this horror when she met timid Nicola.
Marie says: "Andrew and Nicola had been reunited through the family tracing website Genes Reunited in October 2006, when Andrew got a message from his long-lost daughter.
"I told him he must contact her, she was obviously desperate to be reunited.
"A week later Andrew brought her to my house. I welcomed Nicola into our lives with open arms and tried to make her feel part of the family.
"Within four weeks Nicola had started staying at Andrew's flat."
Three months later, Marie invited Nicola to spend Christmas Day at her home with the family.
Marie says: "As we opened gifts Nicola refused to get involved and would only talk to Andrew.
"She was really quiet and wouldn't leave Andrew's side. She was sitting on his knee like a little child.
"I thought it was a bit weird but didn't question it at the time. I felt sorry for her and thought it must be intimidating to have a new family."
Just two weeks later heartbroken Marie discovered the sickening texts.
In May 2007, at Birmingham Crown Court, Andrew and Nicole both pleaded guilty to having sex with an adult relative.
Andrew was given a four-month jail term while Nicola was sentenced to an 18-month supervision order.
Sentence ... Nicola was given 18-month supervision order
Marie says: "I knew I had done the right thing going to the police. Although we had children together I could no longer bear to be with him. I was disgusted and the thought of being around him made me feel sick."
Marie ended her relationship with Andrew and moved out of the area.
She says: "From the moment I turned him into the police, me and the kids had nothing more to do with him.
I still knew of his whereabouts as my father worked with him, though they never spoke.
"I heard Andrew had a new girlfriend. My dad said he was always on the phone to her at work."
Then Marie discovered the police were investigating Andrew again.
She says: "Deep down I had a feeling it had to do with Nicola. I then found out they had started their relationship again.
"I cried my eyes out. It brought it all back again. Nicola's half-sister had discovered sexual photos of Nicola and Andrew together on her mobile phone.
"She told her mum, who confronted her daughter before reporting the couple to the police."
At Birmingham Crown Court on August 4 this year Butler was jailed for ten months and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for ten years.
Nicola was sentenced to 26 weeks in jail suspended for two years.
For Marie the latest discovery has brought back painful memories.
She says: "I couldn't let a man touch me for three years after what happened. I still feel completely betrayed and find it hard to trust men.
"Even to this day it makes me feel sick to think he was sleeping with me and his daughter at the same time."
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