Copyright evoke
A Dublin firefighter has been jailed for a minimum of seven years following his conviction in Boston for raping a woman in a hotel room during St Patrick's Day weekend last year. Terence Crosbie, 39, a member of the Dublin Fire Brigade who travelled to the US with his colleagues for the city's St Patrick's Day parade celebrations, was found guilty by a jury in the Suffolk Superior Court after a retrial. The first trial in June 2025 ended in a hung jury. The rape happened in the early hours of March 15, 2024, at the Omni Parker House Hotel, in Boston. The complainant - a 29-year-old lawyer - testified she had gone to the hotel room with one of Terence Crosbie's fireman colleagues, who she had consensual sex with before she fell asleep. The woman alleged she awoke to find Crosbie on top of her and raping her. Crosbie denied the allegation. In his recorded police interview, he stated: 'I didn't touch her.' In court he told the jury: 'I 100% didn't do this. I've done nothing wrong.' Prosecutors told the trial jury that Crosbie 'became the danger' when he entered the hotel room and assaulted a vulnerable woman. DNA testing revealed two distinct male profiles in a genital swab from the victim. Prosecuting lawyers argued this fact, together with security-camera and door-key-card records, made the defence's argument that there was another man involved - who was not Crosbie - untenable. The victim addressed the court in a statement in which she described the enduring effects of the assault. 'How can I put into words how this rape impacted me, as it has impacted me in so many ways and changed my life forever,' said the victim. 'The trauma brought upon me that night has hurt my health, my work, my friends, my family, and the sense of safety and security and well-being I knew every day before I was attacked.' She continued: 'I'm reminded constantly of the horrible thing that was done to me. 'It's a struggle to heal and to grow back into a happy person who can enjoy her life. She described the attack as having changed her life forever and said the anxiety and reminder of that night remain daily challenges. At the sentencing hearing the prosecution referenced a controversial social-media post attributed to Crosbie from 2017. In the incriminating post on Twitter, Crosbie wrote: 'Six-foot blondes and most unreported rape capital in Europe. Sure, even if it's Vigo versus Lyon, be worth the trip.' The prosecutor characterised that post as 'a public endorsement of rape'. They also argued it revealed a 'predatory mindset' and a future threat to women. That tweet was cited as evidence of Crosbie's attitude to women and used by the prosecution to argue for a significant sentence. The defence asked for leniency on the basis of Crosbie's 18 years' service with the Dublin Fire Brigade and his family responsibilities in Ireland. They argued he had no prior convictions and emphasised the absence of DNA evidence directly linking him to penetration of the complainant. Crosbie's legal team also pointed to the complainant's consumption of alcohol, memory gaps and inconsistency in her account. They argued these factors created reasonable doubt. Daniel Reilly, who delivered closing arguments for the defence on Wednesday, emphasised Terence Crosbie's innocence and pointed to 'reasonable doubt' in the case, in the form of no video or audio of the alleged attack and the 'lack of' conclusive DNA evidence. Mr Reilly said that his client's testimony declaring himself 'innocent' constitutes reasonable doubt. Erin Murphy, who delivered closing arguments for the prosecution in the case, asked the jury to convict Crosbie. Ms Murphy said the alleged victim had 'no reason to lie' and gave a 'detailed account of a stranger raping' her. Crosbie had been in custody on $50,000 (€43,500) bail at the Suffolk County Jail since his arrest. He will serve his sentence in a Massachusetts prison.
