Natasha O’Brien ‘overwhelmed’ by support ahead of protests over soldier’s sentence

Ms O’Brien, 24, from Limerick, told the Irish Examiner she felt “alone and invisible” after Judge Tom O’Donnell told Limerick Circuit Court he had “no doubt” that, if he imposed an immediate jail sentence on Crotty, his army career would be “over”.

“I am just completely fuelled by my outrage for the message this suspended sentence sends,” Ms O’Brien said.

She later posted a message of thanks on Instagram saying: “I was neglected by the system of justice as I watched my attacker (an Irish soldier) walk free, but this is not the end, this is only the start”, followed by a hashtag #justiceforvictims.

She said she was “overwhelmed by the amount of support I have been receiving all day since all the articles were published about the case yesterday with my attacker and the lack of justice that I received”.

“When I left that court house yesterday, I felt so alone, I felt so angry, I felt so invisible, I felt so absolutely neglected, just so thrown away by the justice system, and I would not wish that feeling on anyone.

It was so difficult for me, the last couple of days, when I was told that that my attacker was up for sentencing

“I was given the option to write a victim impact statement, and I said: ‘I have to, because this happens to so many people, it’s not just me, it’s not just women, it’s everyone.  Everyone that are victims of crimes, they are overlooked by the courts and the system of justice,'” she said.

The Defence Forces has commended the “bravery” of Natasha O’Brien, and Tánaiste Micheál Martin has confirmed an investigation has been launched to deal with Crotty.

Women’s Aid and the National Women’s Council have also hit out at the sentencing, while the case itself has gone viral online.

As well as the three-year suspended sentence, Crotty was ordered at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court to pay €3,000 compensation to Ms O’Brien.

He had initially tried to blame his innocent victim for what happened, telling the gardaí who arrested him that Ms O’Brien had instigated the attack at O’Connell St, Limerick, on May 29, 2022.

However, after gardaí showed Crotty CCTV footage of him setting upon Ms O’Brien without provocation, he admitted his guilt. Ms O’Brien has said she had “politely” asked him to stop shouting homophobic slurs at other people in the street. 

Several protests are now being organised to highlight the issue. Rosa Limerick announced there will be three different strikes in Cork, Limerick, and Dublin on Saturday from 12pm.