What happened to Natasha O'Brien? Pearl Jam speaks out in support of assault victim after accused soldier receives suspended sentence

During a Pearl Jam show in Dublin, on Saturday, June 22, Eddie Vedder showed his support to assault victim Natasha O'Brien. The gesture came shortly after soldier Cathal Crotty, accused of allegedly assaulting Natasha, received a suspended jail sentence. According to NME, the victim was allegedly punched several times by Cathal Crotty, resulting in a broken nose.

Protests have also taken place across cities in the Republic of Ireland, addressing the incident. Eddie Vedder acknowledged the ongoing protests, saying:

"It’s been brought to the forefront, which is a very positive thing. Women’s safety and some equality would be nice too."

He further added:

"You know, there was lots of good men walking in the march too. We gotta ask these judges too to protect our sisters, our daughters, our mothers, our wives."

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Natasha O'Brien reportedly punched for confronting soldier over homophobic slurs

Natasha O'Brien, aged 24, was allegedly assaulted by Cathal Crotty, who was subsequently walked free.

The incident took place in Limerick on May 29, 2022. Allegedly intoxicated at the time, Crotty reportedly assaulted Natasha after she asked him to stop shouting homophobic slurs. She sustained a broken nose, bruises, and a concussion. Crotty allegedly later boasted about the assault to his friends on Snapchat, writing:

"Two to put her down, two to put her out."

Initially claiming Natasha O'Brien had provoked him, Crotty changed his story after CCTV footage showed no such provocation from her.

The victim was returning home after getting over her shift at a bar. It has further been reported that she did not even know the accused personally. While testifying, she told the Limerick Circuit criminal court that she thought she was going to die when the attack happened.

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Crotty's actions have been condemned widely

Commandant Paul Togher, who was Crotty's superior, claimed that his actions were out of character. The accused soldier received a three-year sentence and also was ordered to pay €3,000 in compensation on Thursday. According to the BBC, Natasha responded to his sentencing, saying:

"What about me? What about my life? What about so many victims like me?"

Natasha O'Brien criticized Crotty's sentence, expressing her view that the justice system has significant flaws. She added that so many such assault cases received non-custodial sentences. Taoiseach, Simon Harris condemned such action on Crotty's end and said:

"We are living in a country where there is still an epidemic of gender-based violence."

She also spoke on BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra program on Friday and said:

"I was really, really, hoping that I would have been able to set a good example, that when you do something bad you get consequences for it - and instead our system has shown that it is broken."

She further explained that there are so many such incidents happening all over the country and that many don't get justice.