article: A mother-of-two who was abused by her own father throughout her childhood has spoken out after he was jailed for 22 years. Mandy Greenwood, 39, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, said: 'My dad used to tell me he only did it because he loved me. I was more like his wife than his daughter. 'Now he's in jail the sense of freedom and relief is incredible. He can never hurt another child again.' Brave: Mandy Greenwood has spoken out about the father who abused her as a child . Mandy carried the terrible secret around with her for more than 20 years – and it was only after she confided in her husband, Dave, that she felt strong enough to seek help. She has waived her right to anonymity in the hope that other victims of abuse will come forward too. Mandy's abuse began at the age of seven, when her father, Keith Whitworth, now 61, came into her bedroom and woke her up during the night. What began as touching became rape on an almost daily basis. Mandy said: 'I would cry myself to sleep each night. There was nobody for me to confide in. I felt so alone and so sad. I wasn't close to my mum at all. 'Sometimes he would take me to the park – what seemed like a nice trip out – but he would abuse me then too. Guilty: Keith Whitworth has been jailed for 22 years for a catalogue of abuse against three children . 'He would tell me: 'I'm only doing this because I love you.' 'In my child's mind, I thought of myself as his wife rather than his daughter.' As a child, Mandy was given a choice at bedtime; she could either go to bed early or take a beating with her father's belt. She said: 'My siblings would go to bed but I would take the belt because I didn't want to go to bed. I was scared of going to bed. 'It was a no-win situation and it was only as an adult that I realised how twisted and cruel he was.' New family: Mandy escaped home life by getting pregnant with her daughter at 15, and son four years later . In a desperate effort to escape her home life, Mandy became pregnant. At 15, she had a daughter, and four years later she had a son. She said: 'To me, sex was nothing special. It was a dirty, unpleasant thing. I wanted a baby because I needed my own family. 'When my daughter was born, I felt a surge of love and happiness that I had never experienced before. I left home and I was determined to be a good mum. It was my focus in life.' Mandy did not return home and the abuse stopped. But her father lived nearby and she saw him on a regular basis. She said: 'At first, I tried to keep a friendly relationship, for the sake of appearances. But he was very touchy-feely – always pushing the boundaries. 'The abuse was never mentioned. It was like the elephant in the room. It weighed me down, physically, all through my life. 'Once, I plucked up courage to ask him why he did it, and he replied: "I only did it because I loved you." Realising she could no longer cope with him in her life, Mandy stopped all contact. At the age of 20, Mandy met Dave, a friend of her brother. Despite being a single mother to two children already, she and Dave hit it off immediately. Mandy said: 'Dave was like a breath of fresh air. He was a real giggle.' Fresh start: Mandy met her husband Dave at 20. 'He was like a breath of fresh air,' she said . As the couple grew closer, Mandy decided to confide in someone about the abuse – for the first time in her life. She said: 'Until then, I had bottled it up inside. I hadn't told anyone. But I felt I could trust Dave. I knew he was there for me.' Dave urged her to seek help. But Mandy could not face telling the police. Trust: Mandy felt she could trust Dave and, for the first time in her life, confided about the abuse she suffered . Moving on: Mandy had severed all contact with her father by the time she married Dave and admits that she was never very close to her mother . She said: 'Dave was very supportive. I had a lot of problems sexually – I would sometimes freeze when he touched me, and after sex I would have to have a bath. I felt dirty and upset. 'But Dave was very patient and understanding. 'I tried to bury it all, and concentrate on my children. They brought me so much happiness. And Dave was my rock. 'But I could not forget the abuse. It was there, at the front of my mind, each day. I kept hearing his voice, in flashbacks.' Two years ago, Mandy finally plucked up courage to go to the police. In February 2013, her father, Keith Whitworth - who committed a catalogue of sexual abuse against three children – was jailed. Whitworth was found guilty of 23 historic child sex offences, including rape, attempted rape, buggery, indecent assault and indecency against a child. Hoping to help: Mandy, from Greater Manchester, has waived her right to anonymity in the hope that other victims of abuse will come forward too . At Bolton Crown Court he was sentenced to 22 years and made subject to an indefinite sexual offences prevention order. Detective Constable Lesley Nolan-Brennan, said: 'The detail of the shocking abuse suffered by the victims is quite frankly stomach-churning. 'Over a prolonged period Whitworth repeatedly abused three very young children. The consequences of his actions have been life-changing for them all. 'They have had to relive their ordeal in open court and I must commend their courage in doing so. 'I hope they feel a sense of justice now he has been sentenced.'
highlights: Keith Whitworth was jailed for 22 years in 2013 for abusing three children .
  One of the victims was his daughter Mandy Greenwood, now 39 .
  Mandy, from Greater Manchester, was raped almost daily as a child .
  The mother-of-two has spoken out to try and help other victims of abuse .
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