A young woman who saw a serving soldier who beat her unconscious walk free from court in Limerick last week has said she is willing to meet with Minister for Justice Helen McEntee to discuss measures to tackle violence in Ireland.
Cathal Crotty (22) of Parkrose Heights, Ardnacrusha, Co Clare appeared before Limerick Circuit Criminal Court where he received a three suspended sentence for his vicious unprovoked attack on Natasha O�Brien. The assault occurred on O�Connell Street in Limerick on May 29th, 2022.
This evening (Thursday) upwards of sixty people gathered outside Washington Street courthouse in Cork to show solidarity with the 24 year old.
Earlier this week Ms O�Brien criticised Minister McEntee and said that she �wouldn�t need to speak out� if the Minister was doing her job �correctly.�
Yesterday at a human trafficking conference in Cork Minister McEntee offered to work with Ms O�Brien to ensure changes are made to make women feel safer in Ireland.
�We need to change the attitudes which underpin so much of the behaviour that we have seen.
I will do whatever I can – I will work with Natasha and I will work with other victims to make sure that whatever further changes we need to make will be made.
There is a problem still – this is an epidemic and we need to acknowledge that.”
This evening at the Rosa organised protest Ms O�Brien said additional efforts need to be made to eliminate all types of violence in Ireland.
�It is a systemic issue that I want to tackle. I want to focus on the legislation and the sentencing law that allow what happened to me to happening. Preventing victims from wanting to come forward because of how bad things are. This needs to change.
Absolutely I am going to be looking at legislation and what I can present to (Minister) McEntee. I will talk to anyone I can. I am not particularly happy that I have to do this but I am happy that I am doing it.
It has been a crazy week. I have been all over the country. I do now want to sit down and put a plan in place in legislation to bring forward to Minister McEntee and the Taoiseach to change this.�
Ms O�Brien said whilst she is the person speaking up thousands of �voices� in the country are behind her cheering her on.
�It hits home to everyone because this is a systemic issue that starts at the very top and it is a problem that has been going on for a long time. I was just able to bring that raw emotion to the story. I didn�t think a single person would listen to that video. But I am here now and I have been given a purpose.
I don�t want to live in a kind of world where this thing continues. I am all action now. This is about moving forward. We have turned something heartbreaking in to a positive. This is a driving factor in a turning point in society.�
