The 36-year-old man insists he is in a “unique and loving relationship” with his 18-year-old daughter Sara and that they should be allowed to keep his newborn baby girl who is also his granddaughter.

The man, who has given his name as Cris, told the local newspaper, Cronica Balear that his ex-wife (and mother of Sara) had reported him for abuse because she was jealous of the relationship.

Talking about how he started the sexual relationship with his daughter, the eldest of five siblings, he said: “Our relationship started like they all do, with flirting, getting along and then trust.

“And everything was going very well until people found out about it,” Cris told the newspaper.

“We may be father and daughter but she has never seen me as a parent because I am much more like a friend than a father figure,” he said.

“When I fell pregnant I knew I wanted to keep it, I have always wanted to be a mother,” she said. But within hours of the birth of her daughter last month the newborn was taken into care.

“My relationship may be unusual but it would be worse for a child to be given up for adoption or grow up in a centre,” she said.

“People say (the relationship) is wrong, well I respect their opinion but I do not care. The easiest option would have been to have an abortion but we decided to have our baby because we don’t care what people think.”