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24th January 2025
09:55am GMT
Activist Natasha O'Brien has spoken out after Cathal Crotty was jailed for two years for attacking her in Limerick in 2022.
The Court of Appeal ruled that the sentence imposed on Cathal Crotty was "unduly lenient". He was then jailed for two years for his brutal attack on Ms. O'Brien.
He was sentenced to three years in prison with the final 12 months suspended.
Crotty will also have to pay €3,000 in compensation to Natasha O'Brien.
Crotty is now in custody following the Court of Appeal's ruling.
He was originally given a suspended sentence after he violently attacked Ms. O'Brien which led to a major public uproar.
Speaking about yesterday's ruling, Natasha said she finally felt "seen and heard".
According to reports, Ms. O'Brien said it was a relief to feel acknowledged finally.
"For the first time in an Irish court I felt seen and heard, I felt acknowledged and it's just a total contrast to how I felt in that courthouse last June."
"The courts have sent a message today, they have sent a message loud and clear: Violence will no longer be tolerated against anyone in this country and that's what we're taking away from today."
In a previous interview with Her’s Jody Coffey, Natasha O’Brien stressed that we shouldn’t be happy about the appeal because Crotty never should’ve walked away with such a lenient sentence in the first place.
She shared, “It’s the bare minimum guys. It’s the bare minimum. Why should we be happy that the right thing is being done? We should be unhappy that the right thing has not been done in the first place.”
