The judge who made the decision to hand down a three-year suspended sentence to a 22-year-old serving soldier who beat a woman unconscious during an assault in Limerick city two years ago is to retire this week.
Judge Tom O'Donnell, who has served in the legal system in Limerick for almost 50 years, as a judge of both the District and Circuit courts in Limerick, and as a solicitor before that, will serve his last day on the bench on Wednesday, a date he confirmed some weeks ago.
She suffered severe physical injuries to her face and body, as well as concussion and panic attacks which have had a hugely detrimental impact on her life, forcing her to give up her job and leaving her living in fear and dread. Ms O’Brien hit out at the lack of a custodial sentence imposed on her assailant saying it denied her justice and other women who had also suffered from violent attacks and sent a very dangerous message out into the community that it was acceptable to attack a woman and not be jailed.
Thousands took to the streets in Limerick, Cork and Dublin over the weekend in solidarity with Ms O’Brien, calling for an end to gender-based violence and the apparent tolerance of it by the judicial system in the frequent absence of custodial sentences handed down for first-time offenders who admit their guilt.
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