'I’ve thought about what I’d say if I met him’ - Natasha O’Brien on attacker’s release

ASSAULT victim Natasha O’Brien said she has “definitely thought about what she would say” if she was to meet her attacker Cathal Crotty, due to be released from Limerick Prison in days.

“To have the opportunity to have a conversation and get some things off my own chest, and maybe hear that ‘why’, that I never got to hear in the sentencing,” she told Limerick Live this Friday.

Mr Crotty was jailed for two years at the Court of Appeal in January 2025 for beating Ms O'Brien unconscious on O’Connell Street in Limerick city after she asked him to stop shouting homophobic abuse in May of 2022.

The three-judge court imposed the sentence after an appeal by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) who argued that the fully suspended three-year sentence imposed by Limerick Circuit Criminal Court in 2024 was unduly lenient.

Hours after the attack Mr Crotty, who was a serving member of the Defence Forces at the time, boasted on Snapchat: “Two to put her down, two to put her out,” in reference to striking Ms O’Brien. He was discharged from the army in July 2024. The case prompted a public and political outcry.

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Paul Healy, of The Irish Mirror, reported on Wednesday that Mr Crotty is due to be freed from prison next week after serving a year and seven months.

Limerick Live asked Ms O’Brien this Friday if she would like to meet Mr Crotty and if it would be cathartic for her? Ms O’Brien said it is a “tough question”.

“ Over the years, I've definitely thought about what I would say if I were to meet him or have the opportunity to have a conversation and get some things off my own chest, and maybe hear that ‘why’, that I never got to hear in the sentencing.

“I think this is highlighting another gap in our system - so many victims go through the courts, they go through the trial because they want that closure. They want to hear that ‘why’. They want the confrontation.

“Unfortunately, that's not what our system is like, and unfortunately, we don't realise until we're in it how little vindication we feel because there has been a lot of studies on restorative justice.”

Ms O’Brien describes it as a model which gives the victim an opportunity to speak with the perpetrator or their family.

“Ireland does offer restorative justice but it's down to the judge and, unfortunately, restorative justice is not offered enough. I wasn't offered it, and it's definitely something I think I would have availed of because it's exactly what victims feel they don't get in the court process.

“It's victim-centered. It's finally the victim having an opportunity to meet with their perpetrator and explain what they did to them. There's been a high satisfaction rate in restorative justice when it is practiced.

“It's something that I do regret that I wasn't offered because I definitely think it would've maybe helped me clear my own head a bit more.”.

She said it won't come as a shock to anyone that as a victim, “the Department of Justice has yet again left me in the dark”.

“I was kindly informed by the press before a story was run which was the first I'd heard of it (Mr Crotty being released from prison).

“I'm ready to move forward with my life. He has served his time, and my hope would be that the Irish Prison Service has provided him with the support necessary to be rehabilitated accordingly.

“I feel that my perpetrator has also been failed by this system. It saddens me that he became a scapegoat for many throughout this time, when my sole purpose was to highlight the systemic and societal issues at large, not the actions of one individual. Through the initial miscarriage of justice, I was forced to endure constant retraumatisation.

“However, I do not see the justice in his infamy when there are countless violent perpetrators excused and enabled by our courts every day. I just do not think that is entirely fair either.”

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Ms O’Brien said her journey through the justice system highlights a multitude of failures, shortcomings, as well as complete systemic gaps.

“You could call my case a perfect case study of all these shortcomings. As a victim of any crime of a violent or sexual nature, one's power and personal autonomy are completely taken away.

“As victims, our trauma is then compounded over and over again by the very system that claims to protect us,” said Ms O’Brien, who added that she also found out about the Court of Appeal date from the media.

“Again, I was not informed. I was not integral to the process. I was a secondary thought of the system. Discovering updates regarding my own case through the press and not the Department of Justice sadly reflects the justice system's lack of evolution despite the constant demands of survivors and the wider public to engage with victims and deliver a more victim-centered process from start to finish.”

Ms O’Brien concluded by saying she forever remains extremely grateful for the endless support she has received throughout this difficult journey.

“My hope is through sharing my story, as a society, we can evolve to all become better active bystanders in the face of injustice, that we can continue to support and empower survivors, and most importantly, that we hold the Government accountable for their failures and demand tangible action.”

The Department of Justice has been contacted for comment.