Natasha O'Brien says she was 'left in the dark' over Cathal Crotty's early prison release

Natasha O'Brien says she learned of Cathal Crotty's release through the media and renews criticism of systemic failures

Natasha O’Brien, who was beaten unconscious by ex-soldier Cathal Crotty, first heard about his planned early release in the media. File picture: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews

Ex-soldier Cathal Crotty, who was jailed after brutally beating Natasha O’Brien unconscious in Limerick city, is to be freed early.

Crotty, 23, has served over a year and a half of a two-year sentence he received last January. 

Initially, he avoided jail time, but the Court of Appeal said his sentencing was too lenient.

They quashed Crotty’s sentence and imposed a headline sentence of four years’ imprisonment, reduced to three years for mitigation, with the final 12 months suspended on the condition that he is of good behaviour for a period of one year.

According to sources, Crotty is being released early due to his good behaviour in prison.

Natasha O’Brien, who was beaten unconscious by Crotty, first heard about the early release in the media. 

Ms O’Brien said she had been “left in the dark” but is focusing on “moving forward with my life”.

She added: “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.”

Ms O’Brien said Crotty has also been failed by the justice 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.

'I do not see the justice in his infamy' 

“Through the initial miscarriage of justice, I was forced to endure constant re-traumatisation. 

"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.”

Ms O’Brien said her journey through the justice system highlights a “multitude of failures and shortcomings”.

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“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.

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“When a sentence appeal was lodged, I had to find out about that court date being set via the media. I had to read about it in the media. 

"Again, I was not informed. I was not integral to the process, I was a secondary thought of the system,” she said.