LAST UPDATE | 8 Jul

CONVICTED CRIMINAL CATHAL Crotty will be sacked from the Defence Forces on Thursday, The Journal has learned. 

Crotty, from Clare but serving at Private rank in Sarsfield’s Barracks Limerick, was convicted of an unprovoked attack on Limerick woman Natasha O’Brien.

A process had begun to dismiss him after he pleaded guilty and received a suspended sentence from now retired judge Tom O’Donnell. 

A source, with knowledge of the dismissal process, has said that the soldier will be discharged from the military on Thursday. The reason for his sacking is that he has been convicted of a criminal offence. 

Crotty, the 22-year-old soldier who attacked Natasha O’Brien and later boasted about it online, also faces an appeal by the Director of Public Prosecutions on grounds of sentence leniency. 

He had entered a guilty plea before Judge Tom O’Donnell at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court. He had initially told gardaí that Ms O’Brien had instigated the attack, but admitted his guilt after gardaí showed Crotty CCTV footage of the incident.

Extensive CCTV footage showed the unprovoked assault when O’Brien remonstrated with Crotty for using homophobic slurs.

It is understood that the Irish Defence Forces process has been handled by the officer in command of One Brigade, Brigadier General Brian Cleary. He is supported by a number of military legal officers.

It is understood the process did not involve a courts martial but instead was a case of Cleary being able to invoke a summary dismissal under the Defence Forces Regulation.

The Tánaiste Micheál Martin, who is also Minister of Defence, disclosed on 27 June, that there are 68 members of the Defence Forces who have been convicted or currently before the courts on a range of criminal offences.

When contacted for comment a Defence Forces spokesperson said: “The Defence Forces unequivocally condemns any actions by serving personnel that are contrary to military regulations or that do not reflect our values. The Defence Forces does not comment on the specifics of individuals cases.”