Planned tributes to Limerick judge canceled following public anger over soldier's conviction

PLANNED farewell tributes to Judge Tom O’Donnell, who retires from Limerick Circuit Criminal Court this Wednesday (June 26), have been canceled following a storm of social unrest.

It comes after Mr Justice O’Donnell imposed a suspended sentence on a soldier who savagely beat a woman unconscious in Limerick city.

Legal sources confirmed the tributes would not take place on Wednesday due to publicity surrounding the case, fearing it would further fuel what they see as unfair criticism of the judge.

Last week, a reception was held at a Treaty City hotel in recognition of Judge O’Donnell’s 47-year legal career, first as an attorney, then a district court judge, and finally as a judge at the circuit court.

A protest is planned outside the court on Wednesday, amid growing public anger over the terms of the sentence handed down to soldier Cathal Crotty.

Legal sources said they had “sympathy” for Judge O’Donnell, saying he found himself “in the middle of a tornado” of public discord. They said they fiercely disagreed with some “outrageous” comments aimed at the judge, particularly online.

Judge O’Donnell, who members of Limerick’s legal profession today described as one of the most “fair”, “courteous” and “hard-working” judges in the country, imposed sentence last Wednesday three-year suspended sentence for Private Crotty (22), who admitted assaulting Natasha O’Brien (24) in an unprovoked street attack in 2022.

Ms O’Brien said she was disgusted by the sentence and later called on the defense forces to expel Crotty from the army.

Following this, socialist feminist group ROSA organized street protests across the country in support of Ms O’Brien and called for legal reforms and an end to gender-based violence. Thousands of people took to the streets in solidarity with Ms O’Brien, who delivered a powerful speech to hundreds of people in Bedford Row in Limerick.

Crotty, of Parkroe Heights, was also ordered by Judge O’Donnell to pay €3,000 in compensation, after pleading guilty to assaulting Ms O’Brien causing harm to her and O’Connell Street, Limerick City, on May 29. 2022.

Ms O’Brien was walking home from work when she was attacked by Crotty, a Defense Force soldier based at Sarsfield Barracks.

Judge O’Donnelll heard that Ms O’Brien had “politely” asked Crotty to refrain from shouting homophobic slurs at other people in the street, when he grabbed her by the hair and started to hit her.

Crotty punched Ms O’Brien six times to the head and face and continued to punch her after she fell to the ground and lost consciousness.

Crotty fled when a passerby intervened.

Later that day, Crotty bragged in messages to her friends on Snapchat, saying, “Two to put her down, two to kick her out.” »

As Ms O’Brien was about to begin reading her victim impact statement in court last week, Judge O’Donnell asked her if she understood the “meaning” of Crotty’s guilty plea, which the judge, had saved the court, as well as Gardaí, time and resources which would otherwise have been required for a trial and which would otherwise have delayed the case by at least 18 months.

Seeming somewhat taken aback by the judge’s question, Ms O’Brien responded that she had been through “two long years of trauma” while waiting for the case to come before the Circuit Court judge.

“I suffer from PTSD symptoms and have had to see several therapists since the attack. I became numb and detached from reality, living in perpetual fear of seeing him again,” Ms O’Brien told the judge.

Crotty’s superior officer, Commander Paul Togher, told the court that Crotty, whom he had known in the army, had always been “exemplary”, “courteous”, “professional” and “disciplined” in his conduct.

Commander Togher said he was “exceptionally disappointed and surprised” by Crotty’s “highly unusual” behavior, and was particularly disappointed because, he said, members of the defense forces were “supposed to provide security people “.

Judge O’Donnell said he found Crotty’s actions that night to be “absolutely appalling” and that Crotty “took pride in striking a defenseless woman in what was a cowardly, vicious, no-nonsense assault.” provoked and totally unnecessary.”

The judge said he had “no doubt” that an immediate prison sentence would have meant the end of Crotty’s military career.

However, he said he had to balance the aggravating factors of Crotty’s actions with mitigating factors such as Crotty’s early guilty plea (after initially trying to blame Ms O’Brien); Crotty’s previous good character and the fact that he had no previous convictions; and the fact that if Crotty had contested the matter it would have compounded Ms O’Brien’s trauma.

However, speaking after the sentence was imposed, Ms O’Brien said the terms of Crotty’s fully suspended sentence had re-traumatised her.

She also argued that she lost her job because she could not cope with the attack and that Crotty had walked free from court and was then still a soldier in the army.

The Defense Force has since praised Ms O’Brien for her courage and said it is carrying out its own internal investigations, which risks having consequences for Mr Crotty’s military career.