Soldier beats a woman unconscious, gets a great reference from his commanding officer, avoids jail.

You'd hope the DPP will appeal the leniency of the sentence, even just on principle if it's a case that their advice is it'll be upheld.

If I were Micheál Martin, I'd be on the phone to the Chief of Staff right now demanding that the little scrote be dishonourably discharged. And if he wants to sue for wrongful dismissal, let him.

The irony of this story today.

Yesterday Helen McEntee announced the latest figures in domestic violence cases against women are at all time high!!!

What the hell is the point of announcing an all time high if the next day a man gets off for beating a strange women unconscious in the street, knowingly, deliberately , boasting about it.

The legal system and government she is part of is allowing someone like this walk free while the victim's life will never be the same. Shame on everyone involved in this scumbags defence, the judge and our Minister for Justice!

Pressure starting.

It's bizarre to me this sentence. It leads me to question if the exact same circumstances happened but the guilty party was a solicitor or a doctor or worked in a call centre or was unemployed would it have altered the sentence? Sounds like it would.

I thought justice should be blind, no?

Hopefully this will be appealed by the DPP...

Not true

Politician's. Good f**king luck. Can't be calling out a poor auld member of the defence force's who nearly murdered a woman on the street. They could be their state driver in a few years time.

It's very difficult for a government td to make a comment as you have to have separation of judiciary and state and it would be seen as interference.

But the DPP should come out and state their intention to appeal the leniency of the sentence.

I see the same judge gave a suspended sentence to another piece of trash who beat up a homeless man in Limerick. Can’t seem to post a link. Aaron Holland is the name of the scumbag involved.
Total disgrace.

He should have refused.

Ming Flangan and some other no mark. Where the f**k is the Minister for Defence? Nowhere as usual. This is beyond the beyonds, even for a clown as incompetent as Martin.

Good news.

His superior who gave him the reference should be chucked out too.

don’t usually comment on things like this but this is astounding. So much wrong here. The army, the judge. Disgraceful.

As for victim impact statements, I’ve always thought they should be given after sentencing. Lack of justice has a huge impact on the victim. The gardai must be tearing their hair out at this.

The poster said not a single politician had commented..

A sitting and re-elected MEP and a sitting TD (since 2014) with I would argue a high profile both have.

I am sure more will in time.

From a prison worker - judges are been told not to jail anyone unless they have killed someone as there is no jail space ,presently the least bad inmate is released on temporary release ( forever really ) to allow in a new prisoner , all less serious prisoners have been released at this stage so you’d be realising a murderer or rapist to fit this fellow in jail …..until a couple of new prisons are built lots of dangerous people won’t be going to jail .

Begs the question though. The reasoning given for suspending the sentence was because of the effect prison would have on his career as a soldier.

But if a conviction leads to dismissal anyway then that reasoning no longer applies.

So logically an appeal should have that reasoning removed?