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Defence Forces morale on the floor as commentary over Cathal Crotty case seen as unfair

Defence Forces members feel organisation has been the target of unfair criticism from politicians including Taoiseach and the public after soldier received suspended sentence over vicious assault

Senior Defence Forces officers feel Taoiseach Simon Harris is treating the military as a scapegoat, while the judge who gave Cathal Crotty a suspended sentence largely escapes political criticism. Photograph: Colin Keegan/Collins Dublin

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Conor Gallagher
Thu Jun 27 2024 - 06:00

The controversy regarding Cathal Crotty, a serving soldier who escaped with a suspended sentence following a vicious unprovoked assault on a woman, could hardly have come at a worse time for the beleaguered Defence Forces.

Less than a week after Crotty (22) avoided jail for beating Natasha O’Brien unconscious in a random street attack, the first hearing took place of the Defence Forces Tribunal which is tasked with examining the complaints process around allegations of widespread sexual abuse, harassment, bullying and assault in the military.

[ Defence Forces chiefs hope to expel convicted soldier Cathal Crotty by early next week ]

These events, combined with a general malaise in the Defence Forces – which is continuing to bleed manpower – have left morale across all ranks “on the floor”, sources say.

Following the Crotty case, many Defence Forces members feel, rightly or wrongly, that the organisation has been the target of unfair criticism from politicians and the general public.

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This includes comments from Taoiseach Simon Harris who, when asked about the Crotty case on Tuesday, said: “There are people in the Defence Forces who clearly knew this was happening, why did they do nothing? These are very serious questions and as Taoiseach I am not satisfied in relation to this, I am not satisfied at all.”

[ Natasha O’Brien didn’t go to court to hear Cathal Crotty’s guilty plea ]

Senior officers feel Harris is treating the military as a scapegoat, while the judge who actually gave Crotty a suspended sentence largely escapes political criticism. Judge Tom O’Donnell had described the soldier’s attack on Natasha O’Brien as “utterly appalling”, but spared him a jail term.

Crotty is still technically a member of the Defence Forces. This is because the organisation’s disciplinary procedures are governed by regulations.

These regulations are decided by the Dáil rather than the generals, officers point out. Furthermore, military management has for years been appealing for increased powers to dismiss people convicted of crimes at an earlier stage. These appeals have largely fallen on deaf ears.

“If they want us to root out ‘Crottys’, then they need to give us the legislative powers to do it,” said one senior officer.

There is also annoyance within military management over the accusations, aired in the Dáil on Tuesday, that the Defence Forces does not know how many of its members have criminal convictions.

This is inaccurate, officers say. Information on convictions is routinely gathered but it is held at brigade level rather than at headquarters. There is currently an ongoing process to gather all that data in one place.

Finally, there is widespread dismay in the Defence Forces over public commentary regarding the appearance of Crotty’s commanding officer, Comdt Paul Togher, at the sentencing hearing.

Togher told the court Crotty was an “exemplary”, “courteous”, “professional” and “disciplined” soldier.

It is easy to see how this was interpreted by the public as a senior officer giving a glowing character reference to a violent offender.

In fact, Togher was required under military law to be present and to give a summary of Crotty’s service record if requested. Words like “exemplary” and “professional” are simply HR terms, military sources said, not a personnel endorsement.

The Representative Association of Commissioned Officers said Togher has been “vilified” on social media for simply following regulations.

However, while military management may have the right to feel aggrieved by some of the public and political commentary around Crotty, it still has questions to answer about the organisation’s treatment of women and its approach to violent offenders in the ranks.

[ Defence Forces, Courts Service asked to withdraw from Pride parades after Cathal Crotty suspended sentence ]

In particular, it will have to account for why David O’Gorman, a Naval Service NCO, is still a serving member, a year after admitting to a violent attack on a former girlfriend that left one of her eyes permanently displaced.

Many more damning allegations are sure to emerge at the newly formed tribunal. Hearings are expected to last up to three years, meaning the Defence Forces has by no means weathered this storm.

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