Devin O’Donnell, 19, told Joseph Campbell, 63, that he would not carry the guilt anymore – adding that he is ‘reclaiming my voice, my story and my life’ during the emotional court testimony
A brave teenager has stood up in court and waived his right to anonymity to publicly face the man who raped him when he was 11 years old.
Devin O’Donnell, 19, told Joseph Campbell, 63, that he would not carry the guilt anymore – adding that he is “reclaiming my voice, my story and my life”. Mr O’Donnell was reading from his victim impact statement at the sentencing hearing of Campbell, the father of Mr O’Donnell’s step-mother.
Mr O’Donnell chose to waive his right to anonymity so that Campbell, of Daingean, Co Offaly, in Ireland, could be named in reports of the trial, the prosecution said. Mr O’Donnell read the statement before Campbell was jailed for rape for eight and a half years on Monday at Dublin’s Central Criminal Court. Campbell maintains his innocence and does not accept the verdict of the jury.
Mr O’Donnell said in his victim impact statement: “You didn’t just hurt me in that moment, you changed how I experienced the world. You planted silence inside me. And for a long time, I felt that silence keep my quiet, because the shame felt louder than my voice. But I’m not that scared little child anymore.
“I’m speaking now, not because I’m over it but because I am choosing to fight for myself, even when it is hard. What you did stole parts of my life that I will never get back. But you didn’t take everything. You didn’t take my strength. You didn’t take my future. You didn’t take my ability to heal.
“I am still here. And I’m slowly learning that I was never the one who should have felt ashamed, you were,” Mr O’Donnell continued.
At a trial last June, Campbell was found guilty of what is termed as section 4 rape – anal rape – at Mr O’Donnell’s home in October 2017, the Irish Mirror reports. He had denied the charges. Further charges of sexual assault perpetrated by Campbell on the victim in December 2021 were taken into account.
Sentencing Campbell on Monday Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring noted Mr O’Donnell’s “resilience” and said he had faced many challenges throughout his life.
“He was preyed upon by a person whom he should have trusted – no child should have to have these experiences,” she said. Speaking about Mr O’Donnell, she said it was clear that he is “loved by many”.
“While this abuse has marked him, it should not define him. He is so much more than what Joseph Campbell did to him,” Ms Justice Ring said before. She added that she hopes “new normal and happy life events will outweigh this experience” before she wished Mr O’Donnell all the best for the future.
Ms Justice Ring said the aggravating features included the fact that Campbell was “a grandfather figure in the family structure” and “breached the trust that such a role brings”. She further noted that he does not accept the verdict and has shown no insight or victim empathy.
“He threatened an 11-year-old whose mother had just died – the psychological and emotional abuse that causes extends the physical harm,” Ms Justice Ring said. She accepted in mitigation that Campbell has no previous convictions.
Ms Justice Ring set a headline sentence of 11 years before reducing the sentence to 10 years. She suspended the final 18 months of that term after acknowledging that Campbell’s “re-entry into society” would be difficult. Campbell was further ordered that neither he, nor anyone on his behalf, should have contact with Mr O’Donnell either directly or indirectly, while he is in prison and for a further five years after his release.
“What happened to me as a child has never left me. It wasn’t just something that happened in a moment and ended, it was something that planted itself deep inside me, and grew into fear, shame, confusion, and heartbreak that I have carried ever since,” said Devin O’Donnell.
“I was just a child. I didn’t understand what was happening. I just remember feeling small, scared and like something inside me was being stolen. You took away a part of me I never got back. My safety. My innocence. My ability to feel okay in my own skin.
“Growing up, I felt different from everyone else but not in a good way. I smiled, laughed and pretended everything was normal but inside I was hurting. I felt dirty. I felt broken. I thought something was wrong with me. And worst of all, I thought maybe it was my fault. That maybe I had done something to deserve it. No child should ever have to think that.”