Additional reporting by David Raleigh.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has lodged an appeal against the sentence given to a soldier for the assault of a woman on a street in Limerick city.
Cathal Crotty, with an address at Parkroe Heights, Ardnacrusha, Co Clare, pleaded guilty to assaulting Natasha O’Brien in 2022.
The 22-year-old, who is a serving member of the Defence Forces, walked free from court after being given a three-year suspended sentence for the attack.
The DPP’s appeal against the suspended sentence has been lodged on the basis of undue leniency.
Protests have been held in cities across the country, outside the Dáil and outside the Limerick courthouse after the story came to light.
Ms O’Brien said she was buoyed by the news that the DPP is to appeal Mr Crotty’s suspended three-year sentence for his vicious assault on her on the grounds that the sentence was overly lenient.
“Thank god the right thing is being done now,” Ms O’Brien said.
However, the 24-year-old Limerick woman said many more victims of crime, particularly violent crime, do not get the opportunity to have their abuser’s
“This is a step forward, but I am still at the bottom of a big mountain, so I’m going to keep going,” Ms O’Brien said.
“The amount of victims that have come forward to me with sentencing horror stories, and their convicted (abusers) walking free, with no hope of an appeal, is quite frightening.”
Ms O’Brien said she has been advised that it can be “quite difficult for the DPP to pursue an appeal, sometimes they don't have the grounds, which is very sad”.
“I am almost certain that there are a far greater number of unduly lenient sentences that don’t get to that point.”
Ms O’Brien said she believed that speaking out in public about Crotty’s suspended sentence had helped bring an appeal against his sentence.
“I know the DPP is impartial to public opinion and government opinion, however I have no doubt there would not have been an appeal had their not been a national uproar,” she said.
“It is legislation and sentencing guidelines that need to change to allow for more of this, when judges are not - in my opinion - conducting fair sentences, that this process isn’t so impossible and that it is more accessible for others,” Ms O’Brien said.
Ms O’Brien said she had been advised that the appeal before the three-judge court of appeal would not be heard until October/November. She said she had been invited to attend the appeal hearing and that a transcript from Crotty’s sentencing hearing would be made available to the court.
Ms O’Brien said she has experienced “two crazy weeks” since she spoke out publicly about her disgust at the sentence imposed on Crotty by Judge Tom O’Donnell at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court.
Crotty boasted on social media after the unprovoked attack: “Two to put her (Ms O’Brien) down, two to put her out.”
“There have been so many highs and so many lows,” Ms O'Brien said.
She said the Labour Party was due to put a motion before the Dáil next Wednesday seeking stringent sentencing guidelines in assault cases: “That is fantastic, and it is great to see the wheel of change moving slowly forward.”
Ms O’Brien said she was concerned at some of the reaction to her publicly expressing her disappointment at both the sentence handed to Crotty and at her wider campaigning to seek changes in how judges deal with victims of crime.
“I’ve been receiving an outrageous amount of backlash this past weekend, in regards to people saying ‘would she give it a rest’ – ‘two (punches) to put her down, how many to shut her up’, ‘she deserved it, she’s mouthy’.”
“That is really frightening, this is a societal issue and people are getting frustrated that I am continuing to speak out about this? I won’t be giving it a rest, because we, as a society, are only at the start – we are moving forward, but it is nowhere where we need to be,” Ms O’Brien argued.
“To any of those commentators - their hate is my motivation to keep going,” she said.
“The negative comments are now a driving force for me to keep going. It’s not ok, it’s as simple as that, and people thinking I should sit down and be quiet is worrying.”
“It is raising alarms for me that there is such a lack of conversation around the justice system, around victims, around violence, that people are seriously triggered when I speak out about holding accountability for assaults.”
“It’s a touchy subject - why - it is extremely important and we need to keep speaking about it.”
