Terence Crosbie, from Dublin Fire Brigade, has been in Suffolk County Jail, in Boston, Massachusetts, after he was arrested and charged with raping a woman in the Omni Parker House Hotel
The wife of an Irish firefighter accused of rape in the US has vowed to stand be him and given her “full support” his lawyer said.
Terence Crosbie, from Dublin Fire Brigade, has been behind bars at the Suffolk County Jail since March after he was arrested and charged with raping a woman in the Omni Parker House Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts. The 38-year-old, who has pleaded not guilty, will face trial in June and his lawyer Daniel C. Reilly said he has the support of his family.
Mr Reilly told The Irish Sunday Mirror : “(His wife) supports him and she believes him. He has her full support, she wants him back home as a husband and as a father.
“People have come to visit him, come to show him support. He does have a good amount of support from friends and family back home.”
Mr. Reilly added Crosbie “maintains his innocence” and said it is “really unfortunate he’s been held for so long”. He added: “From the outset, he’s said he’s done nothing wrong, and being stuck in jail in a foreign country has just been devastating and incomprehensible to him.
“In the beginning especially, it was very difficult. Obviously, you have to kind of accept your situation and to some extent, he has – only in so much as he looks forward to proving his innocence and walking out of that jail a free man and going back home to his family.
“It’s just been horrible for both Mr. Crosbie and his family and on top of that – he was the primary breadwinner, so it’s been a struggle for them.”
Crosbie’s bail was initially set at $100,000 before it was reduced to $10,000 after a successful argument from his defence team. If he was to take up bail, Crosbie would be required to remain in the state of Massachusetts. Mr Reilly said the fact Crosbie is a foreign national in custody in the US is a disadvantage.
The prosecution says Crosbie raped a 28-year-old woman at the Omni Parker House Hotel on March 15, 2024. Previous court hearings heard Crosbie flew into Boston on March 14, with a “broader group” of Dublin Fire Brigade members to march in Boston’s St Patrick’s Day parade.
A court heard the alleged victim went willingly back to the hotel with a fellow firefighter, who was sharing a room with Crosbie after they met at The Black Rose bar. The pair had consensual sex and then they fell asleep in separate beds. Crosbie was not in the room at this time but key swipe records show he returned at 1:55 am.
Assistant District Attorney Erin Murphy said previously: “Because the victim was asleep when he returned she was unaware he was even there until she woke up to him actively raping her. She demanded he stop and asked what he was doing and the defendant continued.
“He did not stop and he made remarks to the effect he knew she wanted this, it was pathetic his friend had fallen asleep and couldn’t do it and he was going to do it for her.”
Mr Reilly confirmed they were trying to conduct interviews with people who were in the presence of Crosbie or the alleged victim that night prior to the alleged incident.
When asked about Crosbie, Mr Reilly said: “My client is a dedicated father and husband with no prior record. He’s an award-winning firefighter and EMT. He volunteers his time with sports and things of that nature with children in Dublin.
“The accusation itself is just so far out of left field of what his demonstrated history is in terms of a man, an employee, a father, a husband. We’ve heard what the complaining witness has alleged but we’ve yet to hear Mr Crosbie’s side of the story and unfortunately that really doesn’t happen until trial.”