YES this. There is no excuse for not protecting your babies. I'll just make that clear right now.
However, I can totally understand why this particular woman would have felt hopeless and powerless to escape. This man absolutely LOOKED like the perfect husband and father to outsiders. I think they would have faced an uphill battle convincing anyone and they probably knew that.
This man has a large family and friends group that are extremely supportive. Even NOW he is being publicly defended, people saying they don't believe it and know he didn't do it. I hope Mom didn't know at all and just needs some help with being more assertive and protective. It would be good if they could all stay together in a safe environment.
However, this is a man she's been married to for a decade. This doesn't fall into the same category as the normal stepdad/boyfriend abuse situations. So I give Mom more leeway than I would if she'd only known him a few months. He raised those girls with her, my guess is that she never imagined he'd do anything to hurt any of the kids. Even if he did hurt her.
People are not being gentle at all with the family. I do hope they will back off until it's known who was aware and who was not. I'm quite concerned that the Mom may commit suicide actually. If she didn't know and truly loves those kids I imagine she's in hell right now.
<modsnipped off topic personal anecdote>
The victims of this will spread far and wide, especially those who come to accept it's true. His family, his friends, his children's friends and their families... anyone who had contact with this man will question themselves and their instincts and whether their own children were safe. How could I not know? How could I not see who he was? <modsnipped>
I just hope people will remember how many victims there are in cases like this. I would hate for a tragedy to come out of it now that S is safe.