Cathal Crotty reportedly to be discharged from the Defence Forces next week

Cathal Crotty is also believed to be attending 'welfare checks'

The Irish Mirror report that discharge processes were commenced against Crotty on June 20th and he will have seven days to appeal this.

There has been a major public uproar since Crotty walked out of court last week after pleading guilty to attacking Ms O'Brien and leaving her unconscious.

Protests were held across the country over the weekend in solidarity with Natasha, with many targeting their outrage towards retiring judge Tom O’Donnell, who decided to spare Crotty because of his guilty admission, reputation, and future career.

Cathal Crotty is reportedly set to be discharged from the Defence Forces next week

As part of The Mirror's report, it is understood that HR procedures around Crotty's discharge could take a week or 10 days to be completed.

The 22-year-old is also believed to be reporting to Sarsfield Barracks in Limerick city every 48 hours for “brief welfare checks”.

Crotty hit Ms O’Brien six times after she asked him to stop shouting homophobic abuse at two men on Limerick’s O’Connell Street in 2022.

Ms O’Brien was left with a broken nose, bruising and psychological damage, and believes Crotty would have kept on punching her had help not arrived at the scene.

Following the sentencing, O’Brien said she did not get justice, telling BBC Radio Ulster that "our system has shown that it is broken."

She added: "This is not just this man, this is many, many, many, young people in Ireland that carry on like this, and there was really no justice.”

She said the decision to give Crotty a suspended sentence is “failing victims”.

Taoiseach Simon Harris said on Tuesday that there can be “no hiding place in the Defence Forces, nor indeed in my view, any place for anyone in the Defence Forces, who has been convicted of domestic, sexual or gender-based violence”.

Criticising the reaction from the Defence Forces in regard to the case, he added: “It’s a harsh thing for me to have to say as Taoiseach, but I feel I need to say it, would the Defence Forces be carrying out their review that they’re now carrying out was there not so much public interest in this?”

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