National uproar has occurred after an Irish soldier who boasted about beating a woman unconscious in an unprovoked attack avoided jailtime.
Cathal Crotty, (22), of Parkroe Heights, Ardnacrusha, Co Clare, has walked free from a court after getting a fully suspended sentence.
The 22-year-old serving Irish soldier initially tried to blame innocent victim, Natasha O’Brien, (24), by wrongly telling the gardai who arrested him that she instigated the attack at O’Connell Street, Limerick, on May 29, 2022.
View this post on Instagram
However, after gardai showed Cathal the CCTV footage of him beating Natasha without any provocation, he admitted his guilt, Limerick Circuit Criminal Court heard Wednesday.
Hours after the attack the Irish soldier boasted to his friends on Snapchat about the heinous act.
Cathal said: “Two to put her down, two to put her out”, referring to striking Natasha four times.
Natasha, who was not known to Cathal, was walking home with a female friend after working a shift at a pub, when he violently assaulted her.
Cathal grabbed Natasha by her hair and punched her to the ground while continuing to hold her hair with one hand and punch her face with the other, the court heard.
Natasha, who sustained a broken nose, bruising, nightmares and panic attacks afterwards, said she thought Crotty was going to kill her during the attack.
“(He) held me like a punching bag almost… until I eventually fell to the ground.”
Natasha O’Brien describes how her attacker, Cathal Crotty (22), didn’t stop and she feared she would die. #TonightVMTV pic.twitter.com/cufgI4ZeLg
— TonightVMTV (@TonightVMTV) June 20, 2024
Cathal fled the scene when a male passer-by intervened, however his friends, who watched the full assault without intervening, remained at the scene.
It was told in court that Cathal decided to beat Natasha, of North Circular Road, Limerick, after she and her friend “politely” asked him to stop shouting “fa**ot” at other people in the street, the court heard.
In her victim impact statement, Natasha read: “My last conscious thought was, ‘he’s not stopping, I’m going to die’”.
Judge O’Donnell wished Natasha well and asked her if she understood “the significance” of Cathal’s guilty plea.
The 22-year-old’s guilty plea eliminated the necessity for a trial which would have compounded her trauma, and would have prolonged the case by approximately 18 months.
Natasha told the judge that while she understood this, she said she had already suffered the trauma of the attack, and “two long years of trauma” waiting for the criminal case to conclude.
The court heard that Cathal should remain a Private solider in the Defence Forces, based at Sarsfield Barracks, Limerick city.
His superior at the Limerick army barracks, Commandant Paul Togher, said that Cathal was an “exemplary”, “courteous”, “professional” and “disciplined” officer.
Judge O’Donnell said: “In fairness to him (Crotty), he has come to court and publicly admitted his wrongdoing, and he has made a public acknowledgement of his criminality,”
The judge went on to suspend the entire sentence and simply ordered Cathal to pay €3,000 compensation to Natasha without prejudice to any potential civil court proceedings.
Speaking afterwards Natasha criticised the sentence and said: “I lost my job because of his (Crotty’s) actions, because I was so impacted by what he did, but this judge doesn’t want to jail him because it will mean he will lose his job.”
“That’s not justice,” she concluded.
The ruling has caused national uproar and protests have already been organised all over the country for this weekend.
On Saturday, 22nd June, a protest in Limerick will occur at 3pm on Bedford Row, in Dublin at 1pm at the Spire and in Cork at 12pm on the Grand Parade.
Irish influencer Rozanna Purcell has shared the Instagram posters for these protests alongside the caption: “Can everyone please read this.”
“It’s absolutely shocking,” she continued as she used the trending hashtag “#westandwithnatasha.”
The posters read: “Solidarity standout with Natasha, Protest misogynistic judicial system,” “A violent soldier’s career placed above a woman’s trauma.”
The Irish public have also taken to the social media platform X to share their disgust at Judge O’Donnel’s ruling.
Appalled by this judgement & Irish Army’s part. In what place of work would the perpetrator not have been put on leave?Yet still working & got a glowing character ref?Judge & army believe a man’s career is more NB than a woman’s safety!Natasha O’Brien is braver than all of them https://t.co/4lZBqweDai
— clíona foley (@ponyyelof) June 21, 2024
‘When you enlist in the army, you take a pledge to protect the citizens and civilians of Ireland…
He used his special combat training on me.’Natasha O’Brien deserves justice and women deserve safety and this is not it @HMcEntee @defenceforces https://t.co/LBPrq0RVvd
— Dr Maeve O’Rourke (@maeveorourke) June 20, 2024
The Irish army should be ashamed of themselves. What sort of brutes are in our so-called defence force? Why are they so comfortable having violent women beaters in their ranks?? Why wasnt he booted out immediately? Is this normal for them? #NatashaObrien https://t.co/seqYGwcT7R
— WhatYouSay (@EricIsWrong4evr) June 21, 2024
In his sentencing of Cathal Crotty, Tom O Donnell displayed a very very sick mentality towards the endemic violence against women in this country! Surely the DPP will contest this cruel and disgusting further abuse of Natasha O Brien!
— margaret hogan (@margarethogan4) June 20, 2024
#DisgracefulSentence
This baby faced soldier viciously attacked an innocent, defenceless woman & gave her a terrible beating, boasted about it, then used his military career as his get out of jail card.
It’s unacceptable and it’s not justice.#NatashaOBrien you’ve been let down https://t.co/pEQi7Jty5v— TalentCoop (@TalentCoop) June 20, 2024
