Standing ovation in Dail for Natasha O'Brien as Taoiseach demands answers of Defence Forces

ASSAULT victim Natasha O’Brien resorted to drinking bottles of wine “to black out” and escape the reality of what happened her after she was beaten unconscious by a soldier who then bragged about it.

“I'd lost my ability to be that outgoing, friendly, full of life person that I had been prior. And I just felt, what is the point? Why bother going on? I was sick of suffering,” said Ms O’Brien, who received a standing ovation in the Dail this Tuesday for speaking out after the court case.

Answering a question from Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald, Taoiseach Simon Harris, who looked up at Ms O’Brien in the public gallery, said he wanted to meet her but needs to wait for the legal proceedings window to close.

“You have shown incredible bravery for speaking up and speaking out and the fact that you were horrifically attacked at the time when you yourself were standing up against homophobia is really a testament to your character and adds to the sense of brutality that you encountered,” said Mr Harris.

He said there is a very simple question that we must know the answer to. “How many other people are in the Defence Forces today who have a criminal conviction? I want to know that answer,” said Mr Harris.

Last Wednesday, disgraced Clare soldier Cathal Crotty put his two hands to his face in apparent relief while seated in the dock in Limerick Circuit Court after Judge Tom O’Donnell told him he was not sending him to jail. That decision sparked a chain of events that have made Irish and international headlines - thousands took to the streets in protest and brought Ms O’Brien’s case to the heart of the justice system and Defence Forces.

Mr Crotty walked away from the courthouse on Mulgrave Street, accompanied by his mother, presumably thinking his ordeal was over. It had only begun.

Mr Crotty, aged 22, of Parkroe Heights, Ardnacrusha beat Ms O’Brien, aged 24, unconscious after she and her friend called out a group of men, including Mr Crotty, for shouting the homophobic slur ‘faggot’ at a man in the city centre in May 2022.

Hours after the incident Mr Crotty boasted on Snapchat, “Two to put her down, two to put her out.” The young woman suffered a broken nose, concussion, swelling and bruising.

Ms O’Brien spoke to reporters after the case, saying “This is not justice”.

When the details of the court case and Ms O'Brien's comments were published on newspapers, websites, TV channels and radio stations on Thursday, thousands agreed with her. And thousands took to the streets in cities across the country on Saturday, including Limerick where Ms O'Brien addressed the crowd.

A debate over gender-based violence, the Defence Forces and law and order in this country commenced. It has been reported locally, nationally and internationally. Mayor John Moran extended an invitation to Ms O'Brien on Saturday and they are set to meet this Wednesday afternoon.

She said she doesn’t blame the soldier who assaulted her or the judge who gave him a suspended sentence, in an interview with the Leader this week.

“It is the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee and the law itself, and why this has not been dealt with sooner because I'm not the first victim to come forward with a court ordeal like this,” said Ms O’Brien.

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She continued: “I mean, he's responsible for his own actions, of course, but I don't blame him for the society that we live in. I'm sure this is a mistake that he will never forget. I don't have any anger towards my attacker,” said Ms O’Brien.

Nor does she blame Judge O’Donnell, who retires this week after almost 50 years serving in the legal system in Limerick as solicitor and then a judge of both the district and circuit courts.

A farewell event for Tom O'Donnell in Limerick Courthouse this Wednesday was cancelled. ROSA - Socialist Feminist Movement, had called for protests at Judge O'Donnell's last court sitting at 1pm, outside the courthouse. Impromptu tributes were paid to him in the circuit court this Tuesday instead.

“I know he (Judge O’Donnell) was extraordinarily lenient, but in the eyes of the law, maybe not unduly lenient. The judge takes the law into consideration and he did. And it's the law that needs to change. That's what I'm hoping for. Sentencing guidelines should be stronger for all forms of violence,” said Ms O’Brien, who would have liked a prison sentence imposed.

The DPP has 28 days to appeal the sentence imposed on Mr Crotty. No appeal had been lodged as of this Tuesday.

Ms O’Brien wished to thank Garda Brian Carroll who, she said, is the exact description of “an exemplary man”.