Update on Cathal Crotty release date as Natasha O’Brien says he was “scapegoated”

O'Brien who was 24 when she was beaten unconcious by the army private found out about his release from the press.

The 23-year-old was initially avoided prison after he beat Natasha O'Brien, a stranger, in the street after she asked him to stop using homophobic slurs.

The fact that he was a serving member of the Defence Forces saw the judge pardon him from custody. However, later the Court of Appeal said that "cowardly’ and "callous" Crotty had recieved a sentence that was unduly lenient. He was sentenced to two years prison time.
The case caused nationwide outrage at leniency for abusers.

O'Brien says Crotty became a scapegoat for larger problems within the justice system.
"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," she said.

"I feel that my perpetrator has also been failed by the justice system. It saddens me that he became a scapegoat, 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 retraumatization.

"There are countless violent perpetrators excused and enabled by our courts every day. My journey through the justice system only highlights this.

"The system is not changing, despite the constant demands of survivors and the wider public to engage with victims and deliver a more victim-centred process from start to finish.

"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."

O'Brien says her experience with the justice system highlights a multitude of failures, shortcomings and "complete systemic gaps".

She said she was kept in the dark for months on end waiting for her case to be heard from both the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Gardai, only for her abuser to initially avoid prison.