Reece O’Donnell jailed for over five years after raping 15 year old girl on Hindley St

A teenager has learnt his fate for raping a child on Hindley St in a horrific attack, before chasing after her when she managed to escape.

A young father who violently raped a child on Hindley St threatened her with pregnancy if she didn’t comply with his demands, a court heard.

Reece O’Donnell, 20, was jailed for more than five years after he then chased after the terrified girl when she finally managed to escape him.

During sentencing, the District Court heard the 15-year-old victim was out on Hindley St with her cousin on March 4, 2023.

At about 4am O’Donnell, who was not known to the victim, began following and accosting her as she walked towards North Tce.

The court heard O’Donnell, who was 19 at the time, pulled her towards a bush, before threatening her and removing her clothing.

Reece O'Donnell was jailed for rape. Photo: Facebook

“You forcefully held her hands behind her back and pulled her hair so she could not escape,” Judge Paul Muscat said.

“At one point you threw her into a wall.

“You also hid her clothing, indicating that you did not want her to run away from you.

“At another point you threatened her with pregnancy if she did not comply with your demands.”

The court heard O’Donnell then raped the victim for about 15 minutes.

The victim tried to run away through a gap in the bushes but O’Donnell grabbed her head and assaulted her again.

(The victim) somehow managed to fight you off, causing you to fall over,” Judge Muscat said.

“She then made a run for it, but you chased after her.”

The victim ran up to a stranger and told him she had been raped and was taken to hospital.

An examination revealed injuries consistent with the victim being forcefully raped by O’Donnell, with his DNA also being a match.

O’Donnell, of Munno Para, pleaded guilty to rape.

In her victim impact statement, the victim said what O’Donnell did to her has affected her mentally, and she feels nervous about life now.

“She said that she cannot erase from her memory what you did to her,” Judge Muscat said.

The court heard O’Donnell suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car accident in 2020, which he said has made him more violent and frustrated.

A doctor opined O’Donnell’s traumatic brain injury most likely affected his ability to control behaviour and made him more vulnerable to the effects of alcohol.

O’Donnell was sentenced to five years and five months jail, with a non-parole period of three years.

The sentence was backdated to February 18.

Originally published as Reece O’Donnell jailed for over five years after raping 15 year old girl on Hindley St