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Soldier beats a woman unconscious, gets a great reference from his CO. Jailed after appeal

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Comments

  • #512
    Leg End Reject
    Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Paid Member Posts: 22,567 Mod ✭✭✭✭Leg End Reject


    Fair play to her, she's not going quietly. I admire her for putting herself out there to shame the government into dealing with it, it can't be easy.

    I wonder would she consider a career in politics in the future?

    https://forumofgames.com/



  • #513
    fritzelly
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 18,749 ✭✭✭✭fritzelly


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122289801#Comment_122289801

    She's one in a very long line of women that have had to come forward to shame this country and government in to doing something.



  • #514
    klose
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,321 ✭✭✭✭klose


    Genuinely shocked at this, what a shameful day for the country of Ireland. No better than Saudi Arabia at this rate just beat women and carry on. Hope that Judge has an eternity of sleepless nights, as small as a speck of dirt that man is.

    As for the lad who beat the woman, I’d get banned for airing my opinion on him.



  • #515
    Deregos.
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,452 ✭✭✭Deregos.


    Yep, about time these so called character references are removed from the courtrooms . . they're just a bunch of misleading turd polishers.



  • #516
    Daniela Yummy Frown
    Posts: 1,338 ✭✭✭ Daniela Yummy Frown


    This absolutely has to be appealed by the DPP and very urgently.



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  • #517
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 7,681 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    When this dies down(And it will) and he has done his sentence,he can apply for the right to be forgotten. Of course he'll be limited to jobs that don't do security checks and he'll never get to the US or Australia.



  • #518
    AyeGer
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,577 ✭✭✭AyeGer


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122289898#Comment_122289898

    Media outside ireland have picked this story up too. He might have difficulty getting this info erased from the internet. His name is not a forgettable name either.



  • #519
    Necro
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators, Paid Member Posts: 58,460 Mod ✭✭✭✭Necro


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122289532#Comment_122289532

    Eh, no, you can't. You would need a referendum to amend article 35.4 of the constitution to occur to do anything like that.



  • #520
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 832 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122289801#Comment_122289801

    I listened to her interview on Drivetime earlier and I hope tonight she's in a good place surrounded by people who love her and care about her and that she is being buffered by the support of an entire nation.

    A lack of justice or continuing injustice plays a role in ptsd symptoms and I know how significant closure is in helping process those traumatic experiences. I hope she's found some. It must be difficult too being in the spotlight under the circumstances and I'd say she'll be glad for it to be over at this stage.



  • #521
    Leg End Reject
    Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Paid Member Posts: 22,567 Mod ✭✭✭✭Leg End Reject


    McEntee and Harris both stating the DPP can appeal the sentence. 28 days to do so, 56 in some circumstances.

    https://www.rte.ie/news/2024/0621/1455952-mcentee-gender-violence/

    They need to address all violence though, not just gender based. The gender of both the victim and perpetrator should not be the focus, the injuries sustained should.

    https://forumofgames.com/



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  • #522
    Necro
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Sports Moderators, Paid Member Posts: 58,460 Mod ✭✭✭✭Necro


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122289928#Comment_122289928

    Regardless of DPP appealing I expect he might see jail yet.

    Defence Forces can imprison him via court martial. He'd better pray it's not a General Court Martial which has the powers to imprison those found guilty for life (not that he would get life but I suspect given the public outrage they will probably throw the book at him)

    https://www.military.ie/en/public-information/courts-martial/classes-of-courts-martial/



  • #523
    Caquas
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,044 ✭✭✭Caquas


    The Defence Forces issued this tweet.

    Hopelessly inadequate. Doesn’t even mention the key issue for the Defences Forces - the role of the Commanding Officer and his intervention in the criminal case.

    https://x.com/defenceforces/status/1804189320422789175?s=61&t=5yJYlU_Z5hOpPzF4_D53ZA



  • #524
    fritzelly
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 18,749 ✭✭✭✭fritzelly


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122289972#Comment_122289972

    And not a comment can be made or seen…



  • #525
    growleaves
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,095 ✭✭✭growleaves


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122289956#Comment_122289956

    But would a Military Judge be that influenced by public opinion ? Or any sort of Judge for that matter?

    No doubt legislators would love to lock this guy up, throw away the key and then claim the credit.*

    But the judiciary?

    *Who sets lax sentencing guidelines? Who sleeps on building prisons? Who tells people 'wow if you were educated you would know that crime is mainly a response to socio-economic factors' etc., etc.?



  • #526
    callaway92
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,306 ✭✭✭✭callaway92


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122289198#Comment_122289198

    Opposite. His colleagues are trying to find any way possible to defend him and come up with excuses/reasoning i.e allegedly the girl hit him first etc



  • #527
    banie01
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,022 ✭✭✭✭banie01


    I absolutely cannot see the equity nor justice in the decision handed down by the judge in this instance. The man undertook a violent and sustained attack against a young woman unable to offer any defence and left her in fear for her life during the assault, and struggling to reconcile the violence inflicted upon her, with carrying on as normal.

    There is a protest organised for tmrw in Limerick city and I'll be attending to show solidarity to Natasha O'Brien.

    My wife, my sister's, my nieces all matter, violence against women cannot be left unanswered. The notion that someone gets a "free hit" to inflict serious harm upon someone? Has to be knocked on the head.

    Emma Langford has penned a protest song that I think may well capture a lot frustration felt by victims of violence whose lack of justice is epitomised by Natasha.

    https://www.tiktok.com/%40emmalangfordmusic/video/7382999193817713952?_t=8nOdOljKs1w&_r=1


  • #528
    howiya
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,502 ✭✭✭howiya


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122289427#Comment_122289427

    Defenders of the officer have been putting the regulations out on X this evening. They discuss what is to occur when a member of the defence forces is to be tried in a civilian court. They use the word trial several times.

    However as we know there was no trial as the defendant pleaded guilty.

    Haven't seen any regulations relating to a sentencing hearing so hard to know whether the officer is still obliged/required to do anything.

    Clear as mud.



  • #529
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    I notice there’s a gofundme set up for Natasha O’Brien. It’s not clear who the organiser is / how he relates to the victim, apart from the sense of outrage shared by the public.

    I’m so impressed by Natasha’s conduct. She comes across an extraordinary woman. Her openness in expressing her thoughts and experience publicly is a breath of fresh air in the midst of pure turmoil.

    I had a creep with a knife following me as I walked home one night. I was actually prepared to die that night when he caught up with me on a quiet road. I count my blessings to have survived. He went on to rob others, another guy was stabbed. I was pretty shaken in a bad way by the ordeal. What Natasha went through was far, far worse than I experienced. I’ve all the more respect to her. Lucky she is still alive - her words will be a catalyst for big change.



  • #530
    Notmything
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,332 ✭✭✭Notmything


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122289857#Comment_122289857

    It wasn't a character reference, he was asked to give evidence.

    One thing in relation to use of the word "exemplary". All soldiers have a yearly appraisal. So if he was judged to be exemplary in his then that is what the officer has to go on. Was anyone there to say exactly what the line of questions were?

    In relation to df regulations and the court. It was a civilian court so they have no standing. However, there are specific regulations to deal with personnel convicted in court. These are now in play.



  • #531
    fritzelly
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 18,749 ✭✭✭✭fritzelly


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122290009#Comment_122290009

    Makes you wonder why don't the gards hold this kind of evidence till the court appearance then watch them squirm when the video evidence is shown to disprove his defense



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  • #532
    VinLieger
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,485 ✭✭✭✭VinLieger


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122290062#Comment_122290062

    Because that would be concealing/hiding evidence from the defence.



  • #533
    tohaltuwi
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,492 ✭✭✭tohaltuwi


    isn’t a Judge, through education, acumen, & long experience, supposed to have, like, good judgement? Here, poor judgement was very much in evidence. The naivety of his failure to realise how the Defence Forces would not defend, per se, one of their ranks who is in dishonour.



  • #534
    Field east
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 4,181 ✭✭✭Field east


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122288796#Comment_122288796

    Could Crotty just resign his position in the DF.- end of? So no Court Marshal and !his exemplary record in the DF remain intact



  • #535
    Field east
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 4,181 ✭✭✭Field east


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122289822#Comment_122289822

    is there a possibility that someone ‘of standing’ had a ‘quiet word’ with the judge? In this day and age nothing should be discounted - the Fr Malloy case comes to mind.



  • #536
    jeremyr62
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 200 ✭✭jeremyr62


    One wonders if the (free) criminal, the judge and the DF "character witness" slept well last night or if they are completely immune to the overwhelming sense of disgust. I have lived in Ireland since 1992 and this is a new low for the justice system imo. I'll be at the protest today.



  • #537
    Caquas
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,044 ✭✭✭Caquas


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122290009#Comment_122290009

    If his buddies had told the truth, Crotty wouldn’t have been brazenly lying to the Gardai until they produced the CCTV.

    Where would our criminal justice system be without CCTV?



  • #538
    dixiefly
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 2,960 ✭✭✭dixiefly


    I haven’t read the complete thread here but I am surprised that there has been no mention of the others that Crotty wa with when he committed the assault. Natasha had mentioned that she stepped through a few of them when she asked gently to stop the homophobic comments.

    You would wonder why none of his friends stepped in. Were any of them serving soldiers themselves? Also the passer by who stepped in has to be commended as Crotty was not on his own. By having no trial they got away with no identification or publicity.



  • #539
    Field east
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 4,181 ✭✭✭Field east


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122289153#Comment_122289153

    ’They are not the norm ‘. Not every ‘scuffle’ hits the papers or the court room. ‘scuffles’ can range from ‘harmless banter to somebody being badly injured to death. They quiet often happen outside pubs/nightclubs but could happen anyplace. SO THEY ARE THE NORM. There is a fine line between a scuffle being ‘Harmless’ where nobody gets physically injured/hurt and ones where somebody gets injured or is even killed. Remember the student killed on Mespil rd outside the Intercontinental hotel a few yrs back. The guy killed outside Hayse’s Hotel , Thurles. And another young individual suffering a serious life changing injury , two years ago in a very rural village near Thurles. On death/ injury is one too many. Examples should be made of all causing these ‘events’ and USe high profile people whenever possible to drive home the point that zero tolerance is in place



  • #540
    jackboy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,260 ✭✭✭jackboy


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122290244#Comment_122290244

    Zero tolerance is not in place, quite the opposite. The Kyle Hayes incident said it all. Not only did he get away with it, he is straight away back to being lauded a hero in his own county. Like it or not the likes of him are role models for the youth.



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  • #541
    csirl
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,500 ✭✭✭csirl


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122290154#Comment_122290154

    Very good point.

    I assume that if he resigns, all this talk of military courts/punishments becomes irrelevent?



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