Irish firefighter pleads not guilty in Boston rape case

Terence Crosbie, a firefighter from Dublin, has pleaded not guilty to charges related to the rape of a woman in a Boston hotel over the St. Patrick’s Day weekend.

Crosbie, 37, was arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court on Wednesday, June 5, after being indicted by a grand jury on May 16.

In April, he pleaded not guilty in Boston Municipal Court.

Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced on March 18 that Crosbie, an Irish citizen, had been charged with raping a woman on Friday, March 15, at the Omni Parker House, a hotel in Boston.

In announcing the charges in March, Assistant District Attorney Erin Murphy said that on the morning of March 15, Boston police interviewed a 28-year-old woman at Massachusetts General Hospital who told them she had been sexually assaulted that same morning at the Omni Parker House.

Detectives obtained video surveillance of the hotel and bar and restaurant “The Black Rose” in Boston, where Crosbie and the victim were on the evening of March 14.

Police learned that Crosbie had flown from Ireland to Boston with other members of the brigade on Thursday morning and his departure was scheduled for Tuesday.

After being questioned by police on Saturday, Crosbie booked a flight for 10.10pm that evening, days before his scheduled departure date. At the airport, Crosbie boarded an even earlier flight, which departed at around 7pm.

State police stopped the plane on the Logan tarmac and pulled Crosbie out.

In a statement following the announcement of the charges, Dublin Fire Service said Crosbie had been immediately placed on leave and was currently conducting its own internal investigation.

The Boston Globe reported that more details about the alleged rape emerged in court on Wednesday.

Assistant District Attorney Erin Murphy said that on Thursday, March 14, the 28-year-old plaintiff went to dinner with co-workers and met a colleague of Crosbie’s who was in Boston with other members of the Dublin Fire Department to attend the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

A video shows the woman leaving a restaurant with Crosbie’s colleague around 11:30 p.m. and returning to the hotel room, where she fell asleep in a separate bed, Murphy said.

Crosbie shared a room at the Omni with another member of the Dublin Fire Service, Murphy told the court.

According to hotel surveillance video, Crosbie left the hotel at 11:55 p.m. and put his key card back in the room at 1:55 a.m., Murphy said.

“The victim was asleep when the defendant entered the room,” Murphy said.

“She wasn’t even aware of his presence until she woke up and realized he was raping her.”

Murphy said the victim “demanded that he stop and asked him what he was doing.”

“The defendant continued and did not stop. He made comments to the effect that he knew she wanted this and that his friend was pathetic for falling asleep.”

When the woman stood up and tried to leave, Crosbie followed her across the room, tried to touch her and told her “she wanted this,” Murphy said.

The woman left at 2:15 a.m., 20 minutes after Crosbie entered the room, Murphy said.

The victim wrote to a friend that she had been attacked and went to the hospital where she spoke to police.

When questioned by police the next day, Crosbie admitted entering the room but denied any contact with the woman, claiming he had only been in the room for a few minutes before the woman left.

In court on Wednesday, Crosbie’s lawyer Daniel Reilly said that when Crosbie boarded the plane on March 16, police told him he was a “free man” and no warrant had been issued for his arrest.

“In a foreign country, you don’t know the laws and you don’t have access to legal counsel. If someone comes at you and accuses you of something but doesn’t offer you any further counseling…” Reilly said, according to The Boston Globe.

“He was scared and wanted to go home. He wasn’t running away from anything.”

Crosbie reportedly has a wife and two children in Dublin.

Crosbie remains held on $100,000 bail. His bail conditions include no contact with his accuser, no travel outside Massachusetts and surrender of his passport.

He is scheduled to appear in court again on August 5.