Soldier Cathal Crotty, who avoided prison last month for beating a woman unconscious in Limerick city, is to be formally discharged from the Defence Forces on Thursday.
Crotty (22) received a suspended sentence last month for violently attacking Natasha O’Brien (24) on the street after she asked him to stop shouting homophobic abuse at passersby, a court heard.
The Director of Public Prosecutions last week lodged an appeal against the sentence on the grounds of undue leniency.
The Defence Forces began the internal dismissal process against Crotty on June 21st, the day after he received the suspended sentence in Limerick Circuit Criminal Court.
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He was paraded before a senior officer and informed he had seven days to “make representations” on why he should not be discharged.
That period has since elapsed and military management have completed the dismissal process, The Irish Times has learned. Crotty would be formally dismissed from the Defence Forces on Thursday, sources said.
It is understood no compelling argument against his discharge was forthcoming, freeing the Defence Forces to formally dismiss him from the organisation this week.
Regulations state the dismissal process must take place “with all convenient speed”, with the date of discharge determined by the officer in charge.
The delay in processing Crotty’s dismissal stemmed in part from questions over whether it could proceed while the DPP’s appeal was outstanding. Last week, the Defence Forces received legal advice that it could proceed with the process.
In the hours after the attack in 2022, Crotty, an Army private from Ardnacrusha, Co Clare, boasted to friends on Snapchat: “Two to put her down, two to put her out,” in reference to striking Ms O’Brien four times.
Noting the impact a custodial term could have on the soldier’s career, Judge Tom O’Donnell imposed a three-year suspended sentence and ordered Crotty to pay €3,000 compensation to Ms O’Brien, at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court on June 20th.
The case prompted significant public and political controversy, with thousands taking part in protests in support of Ms O’Brien.
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