Micheál Martin confirms Defence Forces probe into soldier who beat Limerick woman
A Soldier, Boasted Cathal On Afterwards And Social About Random Crotty, Beat Unconscious O’brien (centre) Street It In Ms Forces Media Defence Attack,
The Tánaiste and Defence Minister Micheál Martin has condemned unequivocally the violent and vicious assault on Natasha O’Brien by a serving Irish soldier and confirmed that the Defence Forces has launched an internal process to deal with her attacker.
Cathal Crotty, 22, of Parkroe Heights, Ardnacrusha, Co Clare, beat Ms O’Brien unconscious in a random street attack, and boasted about it afterwards on social media. He walked free from a court on Wednesday after getting a fully suspended sentence.
He had initially tried to blame the innocent victim, Ms O’Brien, 24, by wrongly telling the gardaí who arrested him that she had instigated the attack at O’Connell Street, Limerick, on May 29, 2022.
However, after gardaí showed Crotty CCTV footage of him setting upon Ms O’Brien without provocation, he admitted his guilt, Limerick Circuit Criminal Court heard on Wednesday.
Speaking in Cork on Friday, Mr Martin praised Ms O’Brien for her bravery and condemned the assault.
“It was vicious. It was unprovoked and I want to commend the bravery, the courage and the dignity of Natasha O’Brien in the face of such an assault, and for the way in which she has conducted herself since,” he said.
“I am conscious that the judicial process may not be complete and I can’t comment any further because it could prejudice any future deliberations at that level.”
He also moved to explain the presence of a superior officer in the courtroom on Wednesday. He said that officer, Commandant Paul Togher, was there under Defence Forces regulations.
“When a member of the Defence Forces is before the courts, there is an obligation that a commanding officer would have an officer in court for two purposes — one, to co-operate with the court if the court requires and sometimes an officer can be cross-examined and was on this occasion by both defence and the prosecution, and to provide whatever material is on the file to the court, and secondly to report back to the Defence Forces in terms of what actually transpired in court,” he said.
He also confirmed that he has spoken to the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces who has confirmed that a separate internal process is now underway in relation to Crotty.
He declined to go into detail on whether or not it could be described as a disciplinary process but said the process is governed by Defence Forces regulations.
“I have read them myself in terms of what happens when the member of the Defence Forces is before the civilian authorities, before the courts. There is a very clear process in place in terms of how the military responds to that. And that is now underway.”
He said Defence Forces personnel are fundamentally trained to protect civilians and to protect society and to keep people safe.
“Those are the values of our Defence Forces. I am very conscious of that, so is everybody involved in the Defence Forces,” he said. “I can’t prejudice any process that is underway and one is underway and we have to allow that now to be concluded."
Meanwhile, Taoiseach Simon Harris praised Ms O’Brien for coming forward and speaking out against her attacker. He said it was really important that victims come forward.
However, Mr Harris said that he was unable to comment directly on the sentencing, citing the separation of powers.
“I find myself precluded from being allowed comment on the sentence of a court, despite perhaps having quite a lot that I would have liked to be able to say,” Mr Harris said.
“The legal process may not yet be concluded because it is absolutely always open to the DPP to appeal a sentence and also to appeal the leniency of a sentence.”
Mr Harris echoed comments by Justice Minister Helen McEntee, saying that there is still an “epidemic of gender-based violence” in Ireland.
“It’s really important that every part of society plays its full role in getting us to that zero-tolerance place that we need to be, which we clearly aren’t there yet,” Mr Harris said.
“Let’s be absolutely categoric about that. There is still far too much violence against women in our country. I, as Taoiseach, as a parent, as a father to a daughter, want to create a very different society for young women to grow up in.”
Mr Harris welcomed the Defence Forces beginning an investigation into the attack, saying that individuals involved needed to be of the “highest standards, highest integrity and respect for the law”.