Women “won’t follow through” with reporting violent attacks to Gardaí because they lack faith in the court system, an expert has warned.
A new poll by the Irish Daily Mail has revealed today that more than three-quarters of people do not have confidence in the courts to deal with cases of violence against women.
It comes after Defence Forces member Cathal Crotty was handed a suspended sentence for a vicious, unprovoked attack on Natasha O’Brien in Limerick in 2022, which is now the subject of an appeal from the DPP.
Solicitor and sexual violence expert Noeline Blackwell said the courts system does not offer justice for survivors of gender-based violence.
“If you were starting to design a system to get justice for victims of that kind of violence, you wouldn't use the court system we have right now,” she told The Pat Kenny Show.
“But here we are and it’s very disheartening for everyone to see that sense that people don’t feel confident in the courts.
“When people get away with assault, when they get away with violence against women, that’s really bad for us all.
“An awful lot of people will report a case now but won't follow through with it.”
Natasha O'Brien speaking outside the Dail. Image: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNewsMs Blackwell said both men and women share a mistrust of courts.
“What I found interesting about the survey is the majority of men, 70%, don’t have confidence in the system,” she said.
“The same is true for 82% of women, so more women than men, but there isn’t a stark gender divide here.
“This is a major problem that the criminal justice system needs to overcome because if people don’t have confidence, they won’t go to the guards.”
Taxi review
It comes as a review into the issuing of taxi licenses is now underway at the Departments of Justice and Transport after Dublin taxi driver Raymond Shorten was last month found guilty of raping two female passengers.
Irish Independent journalist Gabija Gataveckaite said the review is a means for Government to look like “it’s doing something” about women’s safety.
“It’s also to give reassurance to passengers who get into a taxi that it’s the right thing to do, especially when it comes to women and especially if you’re stuck and have no lift at the end of the night,” she said.
“They want to be able to give that reassurance that the allegation can never be made that this man wasn’t properly vetted and hasn’t been vetted in a number of years.
“The vast majority of taxi drivers are 100% appalled in the same way that the rest of us are. But we have a societal issue here.”
Under current laws, taxi drivers must renew their licenses and acquire Garda vetting every five years, and notify authorities if they are found guilty of certain offences.
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