Arthur Harrison: Traralgon father jailed for raping 14-year-old girl

A young girl blames herself for being raped by a man 20 years older than her because she “didn’t scream” and now experiences suicidal thoughts.

A Traralgon father who raped a 14-year-old girl has been jailed for 10 years after his victim blamed herself because she “didn’t scream” while he was on top of her.

Arthur Harrison was sentenced in County Court on Wednesday after he was charged with two counts of rape.

He received two 10-year sentences to be served concurrently.

The court heard in 2018, Harrison entered the room his victim was sleeping in about 10.30pm and, while she shared the bed with two other people, he raped her.

Harrison climbed on top of the minor, placed his hand over her mouth before he pulled down her undies and assaulted her.

He was 34 at the time.

In a victim statement, the 14-year-old said she was in shock and didn’t understand what was happening.

Harrison told her he loved her and that it “felt good” while he raped her and whispered other “rude stuff”.

She said he “humped” her for about five minutes and that it was “painful” then he got off her, told her not to tell anyone and left the room.

The victim statement revealed she didn’t share the events with anyone because she felt like the “most disgusting person in the world”.

“I didn’t want anyone to know, I felt like I was the most disgusting person in the world,” she said.

“I could have screamed or anything, but it was my fault because I let it happen.”

Judge John Smallwood said this was a “serious example of rape” which left a young girl with depression and suicidal thoughts.

“It made a mess of her life. It was a very serious criminal offence to a very vulnerable child,” the judge said.