Lily Buckley SC told the Court of Appeal that a custodial sentence was required to deter others who might consider committing similar offenses
Cathal Crotty and Natasha O’Brien
The fully suspended sentence imposed on soldier Cathal Crotty, who beat Natasha O’Brien unconscious in a public street after she asked him to stop shouting homophobic insults, sends the wrong message about society’s attitude towards such crimes, the Director of Public Prosecutions has said ( DPP). ) argued.
In an application to quash Crotty’s original sentence (22) on the grounds that it was unduly lenient, Lily Buckley SC of the DPP told the Court of Appeal this morning that a custodial sentence was required to deter others who might consider committing similar crimes.
Natasha O’Brien was attacked by soldier Cathal Crotty. Inset: after the attack
Ms Buckley said the DPP had no objection to the sentencing judge imposing a main sentence of four years for the assault. However, the director argues that the decision to reduce this sentence to three years, fully suspended, gave too much weight to the mitigating circumstances in the case.
The sentencing judge, now retired Judge Tom O’Donnell, cited Crotty’s guilty plea, good military service history and no previous convictions as mitigating factors. Ms Buckley said the judge also appeared to attach great importance to the fact that Crotty was likely to lose his job as a result of the conviction.
Natasha O’Brien pictured on O’Connell Street in Limerick, close to where she was brutally attacked in May 2022. Photo: Don Moloney
Ms Buckley pointed out that Crotty was not married and had no dependents, arguing that the judge placed undue importance on the likely loss of his job.
The Court of Appeal reviewed CCTV footage of the attack before Crotty’s lawyers have a chance to respond to the DPP’s comments.
The Crotty case sparked public and political outrage in July last year after it emerged that Crotty had attacked Ms O’Brien (25) in a street in Limerick on May 29, 2022, after she was heard how he called someone a “faggot” and asked them to stop shouting homophobic slurs. He then verbally abused Ms O’Brien using the same word before committing the assault.
Soldier Cathal Crotty was given a suspended sentence for assaulting Natasha O’Brien
Crotty initially lied to gardaí by saying he was attacked first, but changed his story after being exposed to CCTV. Hours after the attack, Crotty, who was serving in the Defense Forces at the time, boasted on Snapchat: “Two to take her down, two to put her down,” referring to Ms O’Brien’s punch. He was discharged from the army in July.
Crotty, of Ardnacrusha, Co. Limerick, was 20 years old at the time of the attack.
In June 2024, Judge O’Donnell, sitting at the Limerick District Criminal Court, imposed a three-year suspended sentence on Crotty and ordered him to pay compensation of €3,000 to Ms O’Brien.
The hearing before the three-judge Court of Appeal will continue this afternoon.