Dublin firefighter accused of US rape takes to the stand in trial
Irish firefighter Terence Crosbie took the stand today at Suffolk Superior Court in Boston today, and described the panic he felt after being accused of raping a woman in the Omni Parker Hotel in the early hours of March 15.Crosbie said he awoke the following morning to a call from Liam O'Brien, with whom he was sharing a room. O'Brien said detectives were in the lobby downstairs looking to speak with him.Crosbie voluntarily spoke with detectives, asking, 'What happens next? What do I do now?' at the end of the conversation. Crosbie said detectives told him he was free to do whatever he pleased and that he was 'free to leave.'Crosbie noted that shortly after, he began to feel "frightened." He said he felt unsupported by his fellow firefighters who were in the nearby Dubliner pub, 'watching the Irish rugby game and drinking,' while he was 'sitting in the hotel room alone.'Crosbie said his nerves were further elevated after he returned to his hotel room and found that the door had been left open, with no explanation as to who had been in his room.
Crosbie said that he 'hit the panic button,' adding, 'I said 'I'm not staying here, I'm out of here.'' Shortly after, Crosbie booked a 10:10 pm Aer Lingus flight that was set to depart for Dublin that night. After arriving at Logan Airport, Crosbie said that there was an earlier flight to Dublin at 6:30 pm that evening, which had not been advertised online. He asked to be switched to the earlier flight.
This morning, the court watched body camera footage taken by Massachusetts state police Sergeant Michael Fiore, that showed Crosbie being escorted off the Aer Lingus flight.The footage showed officers approaching Crosbie in his seat toward the back of the aircraft, him collecting his things from the overhead bin, and him being taken into custody.
More to follow.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Extra.ie
41 minutes ago
- Extra.ie
Irish Olympian Danielle Hill's terror at thugs who set centre on fire
Two-time Irish Olympian Danielle Hill has revealed she was confronted by masked men at Larne Leisure Centre, where families fleeing violence in Ballymena had been housed, before it went up in flames. The centre was set on fire on Wednesday while Ms Hill was coaching a group of children, some of whom were as young as six years old. Rioting in Ballymena broke out on Monday evening, leading to dozens of PSNI officers being injured across the week as violence spread to other towns. People take part in a protest over an alleged sexual assault in the Co Antrim town of Ballymena. Pic: Niall Carson/PA Wire Ethnic minorities in parts of the North have seen their homes attacked, while two families who fled Ballymena were temporarily housed 30 kilometres away in Larne Leisure Centre but had been moved elsewhere earlier on Wednesday before the incident. Recalling the terrifying ordeal, Ms Hill said that the attack on the leisure centre was 'racism in its rawest and most dangerous form' and that the centre was now 'marked by fear and trauma'. A group of masked men were spotted outside the building by coaches, who quickly ended swimming lessons and had the children taken home before bins were pushed into the foyer and set alight. Two-time Irish Olympian Danielle Hill. Pic:'As I walked outside to move my car, four masked men walked around the corner,' Ms Hill said. 'I've never experienced something like that and it scared me. This is a place that kids enjoy coming to. There was no need for what happened last night. It could have ended very differently.' The swimmer, who has represented Ireland at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, later took to social media and urged members of the swimming club to 'come together, not fall apart'. Firefighters at the scene where a fire has broken out at Larne Leisure Centre following vandalism at the facility. Pic: Liam McBurney/PA Wire Ms Hill also said she thought the North had moved beyond violence and masked men, adding: 'We can't be back to square one.' Another swimming coach who was present, Jack Baxter, told RTÉ's Claire Byrne yesterday that it would be months until the leisure centre could be used again. 'We got the kids out of the pool as fast as possible. As the kids were getting changed, we could hear thudding on the windows, which was very distressing for the children. 'Some of the kids were a bit shaken up by it.' The North's First Minister Michelle O'Neill has called for a DUP minister to resign after he posted about the location of the families being housed at the leisure centre. Communities Minister Gordon Lyons had posted on social media before the attack that some families were temporarily being housed at Larne Leisure Centre and that as an MLA for the area, he hadn't been 'made aware of this decision'. Mr Lyons 'strongly hit back at any notion' that he had any responsibility for the centre later being attacked, and said the news that families fleeing Ballymena were at the centre was already 'in the public domain'. Ms O'Neill yesterday denied the incident had led to a crisis in the power-sharing government at Stormont. Speaking at a meeting of the British-Irish Council in Newcastle, Co. Down yesterday, the Sinn Féin vice president said she stood by her comments but denied there was a crisis at Stormont. She said: 'There are four parties around the Executive table. We can have differences at different times and we can say we don't agree with the ministers' approach and still get on with governance, that's what I am determined to do.' Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said Mr Lyons said 'very clearly that his intention was to defuse tensions in the local area due to a significant amount of rumour going around'.
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Taoiseach warns of online misinformation fuelling violence
The current level of 'calculated' misinformation spread online to incite violence is a real concern, the Taoiseach has said. Micheál Martin said some people want to exploit any situation or incident to provoke a violent response against others. Mr Martin was in Co Down on Friday at the 43rd meeting of the British-Irish Council (BIC), which took place following a fourth consecutive night of violence in multiple towns in Co Antrim. More than 40 officers have been injured in the various incidents, and Northern Ireland's police chief warned 'bigots and racists' that the police will pursue them. Mr Martin noted that the BIC had met in Dublin on the evening of the Dublin riots in November 2023, drawing a parallel to Friday's meeting and highlighting that it is an issue governments around the world are facing. Such incidents, he said, have receded, but when one occurs, everybody is 'on alert.' The violence, fearmongering, and misinformation surrounding migration must be addressed at both a societal and political level, the Fianna Fáil leader said. It is an issue that cannot be solved through the criminal justice system alone, he added, noting that 'our system is slow.' Mr Martin said the Government has observed how the UK has handled incidents similar to the Dublin riots more expeditiously, and it is 'something we are keeping under review.' Taoiseach Micheál Martin during the British-Irish Council (BIC) summit at the Slieve Donard resort in Co Down. Picture: Liam McBurney/PA Wire Special courts are not currently under consideration, he said. Legacy Speaking at the same conference, Mr Martin defended Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn's work on legacy issues following criticism from the DUP. He paid tribute to Mr Benn's "honesty, determination and the way he has pursued this issue" adding that he would never question the secretary's bona fides when it comes to doing the best for the people of the North. DUP leader Gavin Robinson had criticised what he called Mr Benn's 'disgraceful attempt to satisfy the Irish Government' while dealing with legacy matters. Mr Martin said it is important for the two Governments to continue working together so that all victims and their families can learn the truth about what happened. "Irrespective of our backgrounds, our government, we are all meeting victims and now we are meeting the grandchildren, grand-nephews and grand-nieces of victims," he said, adding there is an onus on all sides to develop a process that can comprehensively address the legacy of the Troubles. Regarding renewed calls for a public inquiry into the death of former IRA member Denis Donaldson, Mr Martin said he has no objection to meeting with the family. (left to right) Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly during the British-Irish Council (BIC) summit at the Slieve Donard resort in Co Down. Picture: Liam McBurney/PA Wire Mr Donaldson was shot dead in Donegal in 2006, less than six months after disclosing that he was an MI5 and PSNI informer. Mr Martin said he is open to hearing the family's perspective, acknowledging that they have endured a huge and ongoing trauma. "Invariably, we should be very clear, it is the people who carried out the murder who bear the responsibility here and that is the case in all murders and acts of violence," he said. "It is those who drove the bombs, those who pulled the triggers that are responsible." However, there is a need to examine whether security and policing were adequate in any given situation, and this is done through Fiosrú, the Taoiseach said. A general view of the derelict grounds of the Casement Park stadium. Casement Park Mr Martin said that Casement Park has been idle for far too long, and now is the time to agree on how to proceed with the stadium's construction. Earlier this week, the UK Government announced it had allocated £50 million toward the redevelopment project, which is expected to cost nearly £270 million. Mr Martin welcomed the UK funding and said the Government's €50 million commitment from the Shared Island Fund is 'unprecedented.' He said the Northern Ireland Executive and the GAA will now consider how best to proceed. Read More Nearly 5,000 people waiting for home support care
Irish Examiner
9 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
How a dog called Fern solved the mystery of where Cork woman Tina Satchwell had been hidden
When Fern made a positive detection for the presence of human remains in the home of Richard and Tina Satchwell, the dog helped unravel the mystery of where the missing woman had been hidden for more than six years. After Richard Satchwell was sentenced to life in prison for the 2017 murder of his wife, the role of Fern in the case and the absence of a cadaver dog in An Garda Síochána's dog unit has raised hackles, led to soundbites and sparked debate on why the Irish force had to rely on the PSNI's only cadaver dog. Use of Fern in October 2023 for the search of Ms Satchwell's Youghal home was not the only time the services of a cadaver dog were requested by gardaí during the probe into her disappearance. The first time was in 2018, when Ronnie, a dog from Britain, was brought to Castlemartyr for a woodland search after information led gardaí to concentrate on the area. Mick Swindells has worked on a number of other high-profile cases in Ireland, including a search of the Slieve Bloom mountains for Fiona Pender in 2014. Ronnie's handler, Mick Swindells, a former British police officer, recalls staying in Garryvoe during the 2018 search, and says the approach came from gardaí because of his work with the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains, set up to find the bodies of people murdered and secretly buried by republicans during the Troubles. He has worked on a number of other high-profile cases in Ireland, including a search of the Slieve Bloom mountains for Fiona Pender in 2014. She has been missing since 1996 and her case was recently upgraded to a murder investigation. He became involved in human remains detection in 1992 when working with the dogs section in Lancashire police. He has handled five cadaver dogs in his career, but also trained dogs in Britain as well as in the Malaysian and Spanish fire services, and Spanish police. He pointed out training dogs to find human remains in water is different to training them to find buried remains 'because they can smell scent coming through the water'. For land searches, probes are used to prod the ground to release any odours which could indicate if human remains are buried in the area. He stressed, however, that the manner of a person's death can have an impact on the scent, explaining: 'Somebody who has been poisoned will decompose differently to somebody who has shot or stabbed, if there is trauma. "Indeed, the size of a person and the type of soil they have been put in also changes decomposition — also, if there were clothes, or they were wrapped in a shower curtain or carpet or that kind of thing.' He said in most cases, people do not have time to bury remains very deep — although he acknowledged cases like the Tina Satchwell case were different. During the recent trial, the jury heard her body had been buried unusually deep for a 'clandestine burial', with 84cm depth to the bottom of the burial site. 'He [Satchwell] was in his own house so he controlled the environment, whereas when you are burying bodies in woods … even the IRA didn't bury bodies deep and they had control of the areas. In his own house, he could take his time, he wasn't going to be disturbed,' Mr Swindells said. In his work, cadaver dogs are trained on pigs. He explains why: 'If you train a dog to find Semtex and you hide a block of Semtex, it won't change. But, obviously, a dead body evolves and is always changing. So we have to try to train the dog to find a body from, for example, one day after death to 25 years after death when it is just pure skeletal. So you have to train the dog on every aspect of the decomposition and the only way you can do that is by using pigs. It is similar decomposition.' A pig dressed in a coat and placed in a grave. Mick Swindells says the coat has been put on the pig to simulate a real concealment, for the purpose of training a cadaver dog. He says pigs used for the purpose of training dogs to find human remains are buried in the ground for many years. 'We had a site in the UK where we buried pigs in 1992 and every so often we went back there with dogs if we are looking at a really old case to refresh them. Pigs are the closest thing to human because they are omnivores — pigs eat meat and vegetables the same as we do. They have the same skin type — the same number of layers of skin as we do, the same digestive system as we do.' He says the normal police course for training dogs to find human remains is eight weeks: 'The basic course is eight weeks but the dog is always learning after that.' The Search and Rescue Dog Association Ireland (North) currently has four specially trained cadaver dogs in Northern Ireland. The association's Clair O'Connor says: 'We would use archaeological bone or human blood in training. We get blood from donors.' The association, which was founded in 1978 by Cork-born Dr Neil Powell, began working in the area of human remains detection in the 1990s, after being tasked to a search for two cousins who drowned in a lake. Wexford-based Rachell Morris owns K9 Detect and Find Ireland. She and Clair O'Connor both say they have had requests to aid An Garda Síochána over the years with searches. 13/06/'25 Gardaí bring a cadaver dog into a house on Monastery Walk, Clondalkin, where they are continuing their search in the investigation into the death of American woman, Annie McCarrick, who disappeared in 1993. Picture: Colin Keegan/ Collins However, on Monday, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said there were no plans at the moment to acquire a cadaver dog for the force . He described such a dog as a very specialised resource which is not out every day working, as is the case for drugs, firearms or money dogs. He also said a cadaver dog has only been used by the force three times in the seven years he has been commissioner. It emerged at Tuesday afternoon's meeting of the Oireachtas justice committee that a cadaver dog was used in the search for Kerry farmer Mike Gaine in the early weeks of his disappearance. Mick Swindells believes the addition of a cadaver dog to An Garda Síochána's existing dog unit would not be a big cost. 'If you train them to forensics and blood and semen also, you are not restricting it to murders because you have got assault cases, rape cases, that they can be used for as well.' He rejected minister for justice Jim O'Callaghan's assertion that the working life of a cadaver dog was just three years. He said police dogs operate until they are no longer fit enough to work, with many having a work life of up to seven years, typically retiring at about nine years old. This was echoed by Clair O'Connor, who said: 'All of our search dogs would work until they are aged eight to 10 years old.' A Garda spokeswoman confirmed the force has never had its own cadaver dog. She said there were 28 dogs attached to the Garda Dog Unit, inclusive of the Southern and North Western Dog Units. There are currently four dogs in training. The statement said: 'The Garda Dog Unit has dogs trained in three distinct disciplines, namely general purpose, drugs/cash/firearms detection, and explosive detection. Dogs are trained in one discipline.' In relation to cadaver dogs, the statement said: 'The operational demand for victim recovery dogs is currently sufficiently provided for through third-party contractors or through mutual assistance with the Police Service of Northern Ireland with whom An Garda Síochána has excellent working relations.' Read More Review of Tina Satchwell case to include if cadaver dog should have been used in 2017 search — Harris
