The judge who made the decision to hand down a three-year suspended sentence to a 22-year-old serving soldier who beat a woman unconscious during an assault in Limerick city two years ago is to retire this week.
Judge Tom O’Donnell, who has served in the legal system in Limerick for almost 50 years, as a judge of both the District and Circuit courts in Limerick, and as a solicitor before that, will serve his last day on the bench on Wednesday, a date he confirmed some weeks ago.
The timing of his last day in court is unconnected to the public outcry which has followed his decision last week to impose a three-year suspended sentence on Cathal Crotty of Parkroe Heights, Ardnacrusha, Co Clare, who pleaded guilty to assaulting 24-year-old Natasha O’Brien on Limerick’s O’Connell street causing her harm in May 2022.
She suffered severe physical injuries to her face and body, as well as concussion and panic attacks which have had a hugely detrimental impact on her life, forcing her to give up her job and leaving her living in fear and dread.
The accused, who is based at Sarsfield barracks in Limerick, boasted about the attack on social media afterwards.
Ms O’Brien hit out at the lack of a custodial sentence imposed on her assailant saying it denied her justice and other women who had also suffered from violent attacks and sent a very dangerous message out into the community that it was acceptable to attack a woman and not be jailed.
In addition, she pointed out that her attacker was a member of the defence forces, whose job she said was to protect the citizens of Ireland.
Thousands took to the streets in Limerick, Cork and Dublin over the weekend in solidarity with Ms O’Brien, calling for an end to gender-based violence and the apparent tolerance of it by the judicial system in the frequent absence of custodial sentences handed down for first-time offenders who admit their guilt.
The decision has also been widely criticised by political and civic figures as well as groups advocating for an end to violence against women.
While Judge O’Donnell described the assault by Crotty as an appalling, vicious cowardly and totally unprovoked act, nevertheless, in arriving at his decision not to jail him he took into account his plea of guilty, his lack of previous offences and the fact that a custodial sentence would most likely end his army career.
During the course of arranging forthcoming trial dates, Judge O’Donnell had indicted some weeks ago to the assembled legal community at Limerick Circuit court that his last day on the bench would be June 26 next.
He continues to sit at the court managing trials and sentencing matters from today until that date.
Meanwhile, the Defence forces have confirmed that Private Cathal Crotty is facing disciplinary proceedings in the army as a result of his suspended sentence conviction.
