Thousands of people marched in Cork, Dublin, Galway and Limerick yesterday to show their sympathy for 24-year-old Natasha O’ Brian, who has become a symbol of how the justice system in Ireland deals with gender-based violence.
The occasion was the case of an Irish soldier, who abused an unknown woman in an unprovoked street attack and received a suspended sentence, sparked protests in Ireland, reports the “Guardian”, quoted by BTA.
„I decided to speak out because I could not imagine the impact on other victims. Enough. Now is the time for this to end,” said O’Brien at the Limerick rally.
Earlier this week O’Brien strongly criticized the suspended sentence which allowed her attacker Cathal Crotty, 22, to avoid jail. O’Brien said the outcome of the court case has caused her further trauma. A government minister called the case a “watershed” and activists called for legal reform.
On 29 May 2022, Crotty beat O’Brien unconscious in Limerick city center after she asked him to stop shouting homophobic slurs at passers-by.
The army private, who was off duty at the time and had been drinking, grabbed O’Brien by the hair, knocked her to the ground and punched her at least six times. During the beating, the young woman's nose was broken, she suffered swelling, bruising and a concussion. Hours later, the attacker bragged to friends via "Snapchat": "With two punches I took her down, with two more I told her the game."
Crottie initially claimed the victim had instigated the violence, but later pleaded guilty after CCTV footage showed the attack was unprovoked. When she is attacked, O’Brien is on her way home from a shift at a pub. She didn't know Crotty.
O’Brian told Limerick Circuit Criminal Court that the attack left her feeling like a “punching pear” and that her last conscious thought was that “ if he doesn't stop I will die“.
The victim suffered ongoing concussion symptoms and feelings of fear and isolation, leading to self-destructive behavior and lost her job as a result, she said. “I was numb and detached from reality, living in constant fear that I might see him again.“
Crottie's commanding officer, Commandant Paul Toger, told the court that Crotty's behavior was out of character for him because he was an exemplary and disciplined soldier.
Judge Tom O’Donnell decided to give Crotty a three-year suspended sentence and ordered the attacker to pay compensation of €3,000. He described the attack as horrific, cowardly and despicable, but took into account Crotty's confession, his lack of previous convictions and the fact that his army career would be ended if he was given an effective sentence.
O’Bryan told the media that the sentence reflected a broken justice system, as other assault cases had also resulted in non-custodial sentences, which deterred victims from seeking justice.
Women's rights groups organized the protests under the slogan “Not one more!“ and called for radical legal changes. "The career of a brutal soldier is not more important than the safety of women," the Rosa group said. “ Our judicial system sides with the abusers every day of the week,“, the activists believe.