Soldier assault victim Natasha O’Brien says retiring judge Tom O’Donnell should walk away ‘with a sense of utter disgrace and shame’

Victim Natasha O’Brien said she hoped judge Tom O’Donnell “walks away from his career with a sense of utter disgrace and shame” for not jailing Cathal Crotty (22) over that violent attack that left her unconscious, with a broken nose, concussion, swelling and bruising to her head following the assault in May 2022.

The case, which caused national outrage and sparked demonstrations, highlighted how “brutal” the criminal justice system treats victims of violent crime, Ms O’Brien said.

“What happened to me in that courtroom, it left me with the same feeling as I had when I was attacked two years ago. What the justice system did to me was just as brutal,” she said.

“But this has become way bigger than one man, my perpetrator, and way bigger than me. At this point it’s not even about whether the DPP appeals the sentence. It’s the law that needs to change.

“This is not about justice for me, it’s about justice for other victims. This needs to stop. I found my attacker on social media and then I had to face him in court and bare my soul. I hoped and expected that he would not get away with it. But he could and did, like many others. The way victims are treated in court, it’s just heartbreaking.”

Crotty, of Parkroe Heights, Ardnacrusha, Co Clare, received a three-year suspended sentence and was ordered to pay €3,000 in compensation after he pleaded guilty to carrying out an unprovoked attack on Ms O’Brien on O’Connell Street, Limerick, in May 2022.

Hours after the assault, he boasted on Snapchat about the incident, saying: “Two to put her down, two to put her out.”

​Ms O’Brien was walking home after work with a friend on the night she was attacked by Crotty. The young soldier was shouting homophobic slurs at another man on the street when he was asked to stop by the victim and her friend.

“I just politely asked him to stop and he turned towards me and attacked me. The vicious, sinister look in his eyes, the pure rage. I’ll never forget it. He relentlessly beat me until I lost consciousness,” Ms O’Brien said.

Crotty’s friends, who were not members of the Defence Forces, walked away. Ms O’Brien’s friend screamed for help until a man ran to their assistance.

Asked if she believed her attacker was genuinely remorseful, after this was relayed in court through his lawyer, Ms O’Brien said: “I’ve no way of knowing if that’s genuine. I’m sure it’s been a wake-up call for that individual. But it’s not about that individual.

“It’s about the harm it did to me and all like me who don’t receive justice. There are an awful lot of people like me. And the general public have had enough. I’m so blown away by the support and I’m happy that my horrific ordeal has paved the way for this.

“My life will never be the same again. But I’ve always stood up for what’s right. In a sad way, I’m grateful. I cannot describe how traumatising it is, to be told I should be happy that there was a guilty plea.

“My mental health is for ever affected. I’ve symptoms of PTSD that will stay for ever. That man attacked the wrong person. Because I’m not going to take it lying down. I’ve survived to tell the tale and I will tell it.”

It seems there’s a deep-rooted culture of violence and misogyny in the Defence Forces, unfortunately

The 24-year-old recalled how, in the aftermath of the attack, she and her friend scrolled through social media until they tracked down ­Crotty. She recognised him “instantly”.

“We scanned and scanned all platforms until we found him. I’ll never forget the awful moment of seeing him in uniform… and seeing he’d undergone special combat training.”

She passed the information to gardaí, who were already investigating.

“When I found out that he was in the Defence Forces, no one was surprised. It seems there’s a deep-rooted culture of violence and misogyny in the Defence Forces, unfortunately.

“That’s a problem, for some of its members. It’s sad, really, that my close friends who I told weren’t surprised to hear my attacker was a soldier.”

Women of Honour, a support group for those who have suffered physical and sexual abuse at the hands of members of the Defence Forces, has offered its support to Ms O’Brien.

A spokeswoman said it has been contacted by numerous members of the public who say they have been attacked by people in the Defence Forces.

“We’ve had a lot of people in similar situations to Natasha contact us. Part of the reason he [Crotty] got away without a jail sentence is because is he a member of the Defence Forces,” a spokeswoman said.

“His behaviour was excused because he’s a member of the Defence Forces. She is most welcome to contact us and discuss her case, if she so wishes. It could form part of the tribunal.”

A tribunal of inquiry into the handling of a range of abuses in the Defence Forces was announced on Thursday. “The bravery shown by Natasha O’Brien is inspirational and we are so grateful to her for speaking out as she has,” the group said.

“She has shown the power a single voice can have, with the national anger to what she has experienced palpable. The sad truth is that this case is not unusual. We know there are so many more who have suffered abuses and been let down as she has, but have been forced into silence or simply ignored.

“With the tribunal, we now have an opportunity to join all of our voices together in an ultimate show of strength and resilience against a culture that excuses the inexcusable, condones and even rewards violence and discrimination with no real appreciation or recognition of the price paid by victims.”

​Ms O’Brien said she “absolutely” agreed with Women of Honour about issues within the Defence Forces and intended to contact the group to discuss her case. She said taking legal action against her attacker “was very far from my mind”, but events in recent days proved people in Ireland “have had enough”.

“If I was to take a case, which is not what is on my mind, it would be against the Department of Justice for failing to protect me,” she said.

“This is about so much more now. This is about a much-needed change in the law, minimum sentencing for a violent attack, so that it doesn’t matter if you’re in the Defence Forces or whatever your job, it doesn’t mean you get away with it.

“I’m not looking for justice for me, that’s gone, but we need better now in Ireland because without change, there will be no peace.”