Rape victim wants law to be tougher on offenders

A woman who was raped 26 years ago and has watched on as the man who attacked her re-offended three more times has called for harsher sentencing for re-offenders.

Debbie Cole, now 45, has been living in Mullingar for the last 10 years but she was just 19 when she was the victim of a violent sexual crime, in her native Dublin.

Now she is campaigning for the law to be changed, pointing out that rape for the victim is life sentence, so it be the same for the perpetrator.

In January Debbie started her fight for justice when she heard the man who had attacked her had been jailed for the fourth time.

“I set up a Facebook page called 'Rights for Victims of Sexual or Violent Crimes’," said Debbie, who works as a volunteer in the Rape Crisis Centre.

"Basically where I’m coming from is 26 years ago I was raped in Dublin. The guy that raped me got six years and when he came out, he re-offended, was locked up, re-offended, was locked up and re-offended.

“This can’t keep going on. I understand that criminals have rights. They have the right to be innocent till proven guilty, but it’s time that the victims and survivors have rights too,” she insists.

“I’m one of the first people victims talk to. I tell them about the free counselling and what will happen in the unit. But it’s hard when you know what that person is going through, and the person who caused that pain might never end up in jail.

“It’s gone beyond a joke. I felt I just had to do something.”

Since setting up the Facebook page, Debbie has succeeded in achieving some momentum behind her cause, on radio and in print media.

“The more attention we get, the better. The hope is that the minister will have to take some kind of notice. To date I’ve received no political support,” she says, but she says she has the full backing of the Rape Crisis Network Ireland.

Debbie has researched the severe sentences in America and believes that can be adjusted to suit the Irish system.

“I’m not demanding that the minister change the law, I’m asking that she look at it. Just so that they (rapists) won’t walk away with a suspended sentence and a pat on the back for admitting their crimes.

“The highest sentence is 15 years but that has never been handed down. I’d like to see the victims being taken into consideration.

“For the victims, rape is a life sentence. This crime is life-changing. So I’d like to see a sentence reflect that. Obviously not a life-sentence, but if they are re-offenders, then it should be so.

“If they do re-offend, it should be a case where they are taken off the streets because they are a danger to the public.”

“I think judges are becoming numb to the effects on the victim. The police are doing all they can. But from my time working in the Rape Crisis Centre, they depend on the DPP bringing it to court.

“Every time he’s back in the paper it brings it all back. I have to go through it all again. It takes you weeks and months to recover. So that was the turning point when I said enough’s enough, I had to do something. I hope the minister listens to me because the best outcome of this would be for stricter sentencing laws for rapists if they re-offend.”