‘I 100% didn't do this', Dublin firefighter accused of rape tells Boston court

Irish Times

2 days ago

The Dublin firefighter on trial for rape over St Patrick's Day weekend last year told a Boston jury on Friday, 'I 100 per cent didn't do this. I've done nothing wrong.'
Terence Crosbie (38) took the stand as the concluding witness on the fifth day of trial.
The complainant, a 29-year-old attorney, claims she was raped by Mr Crosbie while his Dublin Fire Brigade colleague Liam O'Brien slept in a separate bed in a shared hotel room.
She says she had consensual relations with Mr O'Brien after meeting him at the Black Rose bar in Boston. She later fell asleep in a separate bed but then says she awoke to Mr Crosbie raping her.
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Mr Crosbie denied this allegation on Friday. 'There was nobody in my bed, my bed was empty,' he told the court. 'I had no physical or sexual contact with her at all.'
Mr Crosbie said that he 'said hello' to the complainant at The Black Rose and was in the hotel room when she and Mr O'Brien first entered. He stated that Mr O'Brien gave him a 'look' and that he 'read between the lines and left the room'.
Approximately two hours later he returned. 'I knocked on the door and got no answer and I knocked a second time and still no answer,' he said. He claimed that he 'shouted' and called for Mr O'Brien two more times and 'heard no reply.'
He said that the room was dark and 'even darker' after he shut the door and that he did not see Mr O'Brien or the complainant. Shortly after he got into bed he heard someone 'rummaging around the room'.
The complainant previously stated that the bathroom light was on when Mr Crosbie returned. When she broke free from underneath Mr Crosbie and escaped to the bathroom to dress, he 'was jiggling the handle' after she locked the door.
Under cross examination, defense attorney Daniel C Reilly had asked the complainant if she noticed if the assailant 'had body marks or tattoos.'
'I was trying not to look,' the complainant replied.
On Friday, the defense submitted photos of tattoos on Mr Crosbie's upper arms and legs.
Jurors previously heard that Mr Crosbie was arrested while boarding an early flight back to Dublin after being questioned by police. On Friday Mr Crosbie said that his 'head was spinning' and that he was 'scared like a rabbit in the headlights.'
He stated that he reported the police interview to his superiors at the fire brigade and that when he returned to his hotel room, he found that the door was left open and packed his suitcase. 'I didn't like the fact that someone had been in my room and the nature of the allegations being made,' he stated.
Mr Crosbie also denied insulting Mr O'Brien, claiming that he would not have used the word 'friend' as the complainant alleged.
'I would say mate or buddy,' he stated.
Under direct questioning, Mr Crosbie stated he would not have used the word 'loser' either, as the complainant alleged he called Mr O'Brien.
'That's not an Irish term or anything I would use,' he said.
'Does the word 'stop' mean the same thing in Ireland as it does in the United States,' Suffolk County district attorney Erin Murphy asked Mr Crosbie under cross examination.
'Yes,' Mr Crosbie said.
Dublin Fire Brigade member Terence Crosbie (right) with his defence lawyer Daniel C Reilly during his trial in a Boston court. Photograph: Susan Zalkind/The Irish Times
Jurors previously saw video of Mr Crosbie with his head close to an unidentified blonde woman at The Black Rose bar, prior to the alleged assault.
The state used this image to identify Mr Crosbie and a Dublin Fire Brigade emblem on his jumper. Mr Crosbie had previously stated he was married and has two daughters.
'What were you doing at the precise moment the [prosecution] decided to zoom in,' Mr Reilly asked Mr Crosbie in direct examination.
'I was kissing another woman,' he said.
'Is that what you're charged with in this case?' Mr Reilly asked.
'It's not, no,' said Mr Crosbie.
Jurors previously saw video of the complainant leaving room 610 of the Omni Parker hotel 20 minutes after Mr Crosbie returned in the early hours of March 15th, 2024.
Two minutes later she texted a friend: 'I woke up and a guy was inside of me.'
In the text she alleged the perpetrator told her she 'wanted it' and that his 'friend' was 'pathetic.'
The complainant reiterated this allegation on the stand, stating that she woke up to a man raping her and that Mr Crosbie called Mr O'Brien 'a loser'. Hours later she went to the hospital to report an assault.
Jurors previously heard that in her initial reports the woman did not recall Mr O'Brien's name and did not recall meeting Mr Crosbie previously.
Jurors also
heard from an analyst
who testified two male DNA profiles were collected from the complainant. Mr O'Brien was identified as one of the males. Jurors heard that it was unclear if the second set of male DNA was that of Mr Crosbie.
The defense previously called Dr Chris Rosenbaum, the director of medical toxicology for Newton-Wellesley Hospital, as an expert witness.
Dr Rosenbaum testified that the complainant reported a 'prior history of binge drinking' in her medical documents and that her blood alcohol level at the time she reported the assault the next morning can 'correlate with memory loss and impairment.'
Mr Crosbie has been detained in the Nashua Street Jail since his arrest. Jurors will hear closing arguments on Monday.