A firefighter from Ireland accused of raping a woman in Boston over St. Patrick's Day weekend appeared in Suffolk Superior Court Wednesday where he pleaded not guilty to the indictment against him.
Terrence Crosbie of Dublin was arrested at Boston Logan International Airport in March after he was trying to fly back to Ireland. He was indicted by a grand jury on a rape charge in May.
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According to the prosecution, Crosbie was in Boston with members of the Dublin Fire Brigade for the St. Patrick's Day parade.
A 28-year-old woman told Boston police she had been assaulted at the famed Omni Parker House hotel after meeting Crosbie and one of his colleagues while out to dinner on Thursday, May 14, Assistant District Attorney Erin Murphy said in court Wednesday.
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The woman told investigators she went back to the hotel with a man who was staying in the same room as Crosbie. She said they both fell asleep in separate beds in the room. Crosbie was not there at the time, prosecutors said, but returned to the room a few hours later in the early morning hours Friday. Hotel key swipe records have him accessing the room around 1:55 a.m.
"Because the victim was asleep when he returned she was unaware that he was even there until she woke up to him actively raping her," Murphy said. "She demanded that he stop and asked what he was doing and the defendant continued, he did not stop and he made remarks to the effect of that he knew that she wanted this, that it was pathetic that his friend had fallen asleep and couldn’t do it and that he was going to do it for her.”
The woman collected her things and left the room around 2:15 a.m., according to hotel records, immediately texting a friend to tell them she'd been sexually assaulted. She then sought treatment at the hospital.
The prosecution said that when Crosbie learned of the police investigation he tried to return to Ireland, changing his return flight and trying to board an even earlier one at Logan Airport. He was removed from the flight and arrested.
When interviewed by police, Crosbie admitted that he had returned to the room in the timeframe in question and that there was a woman there when he arrived, but denied having any interaction with her. He denied the rape allegations and pleaded not guilty on Wednesday.
Crosbie's defense argued that his client was not trying to flee the country but was unsure of what to do when facing legal trouble in a foreign country over a holiday weekend and was trying to return home for help.
The defense pushed for a $5,000 cash bail, citing concerns about Crosbie's financial means in a foreign country. The Commonwealth requested a $100,000 bail, citing the nature of the charges and Crosbie's connection to Ireland, pointing to his attempts to get on a flight as an area of concern. The prosecution also noted that due to the way Crosbie was removed from a department flight last minute, his immigration status is now considered an illegal entry and if he were to be released, he could face detainment by ICE.
The judge set Crosbie's bail at $100,000 cash, with conditions that the defendant must stay away and have no contact direct or indirect with the alleged victim, not to leave Massachusetts, to surrender his passport prior to release and not apply for another one.
