A Dublin firefighter accused of allegedly raping an American woman in a hotel room while in Boston for St Patrick’s Day celebrations told his retrial that he had “minimal interaction” with the victim in a bar prior to the incident, a court heard.
Terence Crosbie, 38, has been in custody for 18 months and is accused of raping an American woman at the Omni Parker House hotel in downtown Boston after celebrating at the Black Rose bar on March 14th, 2024.
He is pleading not guilty in his second trial, and Tuesday marks the start of the fourth day of evidence.
Last June, his court hearing, which ended in a mistrial, was told that Mr Crosbie, 38, from Dublin, was in the American city with work colleagues as part of the St Patrick’s Day celebrations on March 14th, last year.
It is alleged that on March 15th last year, Crosbie raped the now 29-year-old woman at the hotel. Mr Crosbie had flown to Boston from Ireland on the same day of the alleged incident with colleagues, and he was scheduled to leave the following Tuesday, March 18th.
Giving evidence on the fourth day of the retrial, Mr Crosbie admitted that while at the Black Rose bar, he met and kissed a woman and went outside with her, but declined to do anything else with her that evening.
He admitted to drinking at multiple bars and informed the court that he was married, but “didn’t tell” the woman at the Black Rose bar about his wife, according to Court TV.
Mr Crosbie confirmed he was sharing a hotel room, number 610, with Liam O’Brien, a work colleague but not a close friend.
He arrived at the hotel close to midnight, and shortly after, O’Brien and the alleged victim came to the room. Mr Crosbie immediately left to give them privacy. He sat by the elevators for approximately two hours before returning to the room. He entered after knocking on the door multiple times with no response.
Mr Crosbie said his bed was empty, with his clothes from his shower earlier on top of it. He got undressed and got into bed without interacting with the alleged victim or Mr O’Brien.
Approximately 90 seconds after getting into bed, Mr Crosbie heard someone get up. He said the alleged victim moved around the room gathering her things. He denied looking at her, touching her or having any physical contact.
Mr Crosbie agreed to speak with detectives after he was called to the lobby, despite being told he did not have to; he asked police to explain what “rape” meant legally. He offered the police a hypothetical scenario and said he masturbated in the room that morning.
After the police interview, he returned to the hotel room later and found the door open. Frightened, he packed his belongings and left for the airport. He went to the airport five hours early and missed marching in the parade.
A witness, Kathleen Cosgrove, an Aer Lingus regional sales manager, testified to the flight records for the airline at Boston Logan Airport.
The records showed that Mr Crosbie had changed his flight to book an earlier departure, but the records did not show the reason for the flight change.
Massachusetts State Police Sergeant Michael Fiore coordinated with customs to remove Mr Crosbie from the plane at the airport.
By the time Boston Police reached the aeroplane, the flight doors had already closed. Sgt Fiore worked with Customs, as required for international flights, to return the plane to the gate. Customs officers boarded to confirm Crosbie’s identity.
The jury saw body camera footage of Mr Crosbie being removed from the plane, where he appeared cooperative.
Mr Crosbie has been in custody on a $50,000 bail at the Suffolk County Jail since his arrest.
The trial continues on Wednesday.