A member of Dublin Fire Brigade who was in the United States with colleagues for St Patrick’s Day celebrations at the weekend has been charged with the alleged rape of a woman at a hotel in Boston.
It is alleged that Terrence Crosbie (37) raped a 28-year-old woman at the Omni Parker House in Boston last Friday and, after being interviewed by local police, booked an earlier flight home but was taken off the plane after he had boarded it.
According to a statement from the Suffolk County District’s Attorney’s office, Mr Crosbie was charged in Boston Municipal Court Central Division with one count of rape and ordered to be held on $100,000 (€92,000) bail.
He was also ordered not to leave Massachusetts and to surrender his passport pending his next court appearance on April 16th.
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Assistant District Attorney Erin Murphy said Boston police officers interviewed the complainant at Massachusetts General Hospital on Friday and she alleged she had been sexually assaulted at the hotel earlier that morning.
Suffolk County District’s Attorney’s office also said surveillance video had been obtained from the Black Rose bar and restaurant in Boston from Thursday.
Mr Crosbie and the woman who has made the allegation against him were present at the venue on Thursday evening.
The statement added Mr Crosbie, who it said was “presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt”, had arrived in Boston earlier on Thursday with other members of Dublin Fire Brigade.
He was due to depart the US for Ireland on Tuesday, though the statement outlined that, after being interviewed by police on Saturday, Mr Crosbie booked a flight for 10.10pm that day.
“At the airport, Crosbie boarded an even earlier flight, departing at around 7pm,” the statement added. “State police stopped the plane on the Logan tarmac and removed Crosbie.”
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said the willingness of victims to come forward was crucial to commencing investigations into allegations made.
“This victim deserves enormous credit for doing that in this case,” Mr Hayden said. “I’m grateful for the alertness of police in finding out that Mr Crosbie was attempting to leave the country.”
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