logo
More than €10,000 raised for legal defence of Dublin firefighter accused of rape in Boston

More than €10,000 raised for legal defence of Dublin firefighter accused of rape in Boston

Irish Times18-07-2025
A fundraiser set up for the legal defence of a Dublin firefighter accused of raping a woman in the United States has raised more than €10,000.
Terence Crosbie (38) is alleged to have raped the woman in a Boston hotel last year after visiting the city with colleagues as part of the St Patrick's Day celebrations.
He pleaded not guilty and went on trial last month, insisting he had no contact whatsoever with the 29-year-old woman.
The trial ended in a hung jury following more than 22 hours of deliberations. The firefighter was remanded in custody pending a retrial.
READ MORE
On Thursday, an online fundraiser was set up by 'family, friends and colleagues' of Mr Crosbie to gather money for his continued legal defence. The intended beneficiary is named as Mr Crosbie's wife.
The fundraiser stated Mr Crosbie was 'facing serious legal proceedings in the United States, a foreign country where the legal system is unfamiliar and the costs are staggering', but it did not mention the nature of the charges.
'Terry's loved ones have poured everything they have into supporting him, but the continuing legal costs – attorney's fees, expert witnesses, trial preparation – are simply too great,' the fundraiser stated, alongside a photograph of Mr Crosbie by the Twin Towers memorial in New York.
'Without immediate support, Terry may lose the very legal team that knows his case best and has worked tirelessly to defend him. That would not only delay his case further, prolonging his unjust confinement, but would risk the fairness of the proceedings altogether.'
It also stated he 'is a devoted husband, a loving father, and a kind and loyal friend' and that his wife and daughters 'are counting down the days until they can hold him again'.
The fundraiser is seeking to raise $45,000 (€38,500). In just over a day, there have been $12,138 in donations, the equivalent of about €10,500, from 64 people.
Mr Crosbie has been detained in Nashua Street Jail in Boston since his arrest last year. Following his most recent trial, the judge increased his bail from $10,000 to $50,000, declaring him a flight risk.
That trial heard Mr Crosbie was one of more than 10 members of Dublin Fire Brigade who flew into Boston on March 14th last year to take part in the St Patrick's Day parade.
The woman alleged that later that night she met one of Mr Crosbie's colleagues at The Black Rose bar, returned with him to the Omni Parker House hotel, had consensual sex and fell asleep in separate beds.
She alleged she awoke to a man she did not know raping her.
Prosecutors said the complainant's testimony that she 'woke up' with a man raping her was supported by CCTV footage of Mr Crosbie entering the hotel room at the time in question and then the complainant leaving 20 minutes later.
Mr Crosbie denied any assault, insisting through his attorneys, police interviews and his own testimony that he 'didn't touch' the woman.
'There was nobody in my bed – my bed was empty,' Mr Crosbie told the court. 'I had no physical or sexual contact with her at all.'
His defence team called into question DNA evidence collected from the woman. Analysts found two male profiles, but could not conclusively identify Mr Crosbie as the second male contributor.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Justin Kelly named as new Garda Commissioner to succeed Drew Harris
Justin Kelly named as new Garda Commissioner to succeed Drew Harris

Irish Times

time42 minutes ago

  • Irish Times

Justin Kelly named as new Garda Commissioner to succeed Drew Harris

The Government has appointed current Garda Deputy Commissioner Justin Kelly to succeed Garda Commissioner Drew Harris , who is due to retire in a matter of weeks. Mr Kelly has been appointed to lead the Garda force after a recruitment process that began in May. Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan recommended Mr Kelly to his colleagues at Tuesday's Cabinet meeting, where the appointment was confirmed. In a statement, Mr O'Callaghan said he is 'very pleased' the Government has accepted his recommendation. READ MORE 'The role of Garda Commissioner is one of the most challenging and impactful leadership positions in Ireland's public service and the appointment process was suitably rigorous,' he said. 'I am satisfied that Justin Kelly is both qualified and particularly well suited to the role of Commissioner given his extensive leadership experience over the last 30 years in some of the most challenging issues facing An Garda Síochána including national security, domestic and sexual violence, and organised crime.' [ Justin Kelly interview: The changing Irish drugs trade: rocketing cocaine prices, gangs growing closer and Irish middlemen in Colombia Opens in new window ] A three-week recruitment campaign was held in May, including an international search for suitable candidates, which resulted in 14 candidates. The selection process included two interviews and a presentation by candidates as well as a detailed psychometric assessment. While Mr Harris is not due to retire until September 1st, after seven years in the role, the handover to Mr Kelly is expected to take place sooner than that. His appointment will be a popular one across the Garda force as he has spent the majority of his policing career involved in crime investigation work, mostly combating drugs and organised crime. As a result, he is regarded as someone familiar with the pressures facing frontline gardaí. A Dubliner, Mr Kelly joined An Garda Síochána as a recruit in the 1990s and has served, since last October, as deputy commissioner for 'security, strategy and governance'. Before that he was assistant commissioner in charge of the 'serious and organised crime' area of the Garda, including all the specialist units that tackle serious and for-profit crime. He has been one of the key figures in the Garda leading and managing the investigations into the Kinahan cartel, including its leadership tier based in Dubai and its Irish operation, which was previously headed by Dubliner Liam Byrne. In an interview with The Irish Times last year, Mr Kelly said the nature of Irish organised crime had changed, with far fewer gangland gun murders but significant co-operation around importing drugs. He said he believed drugs gangs had seen how the Garda wiped out the Kinahan and Hutch groups in Dublin during the operation targeting their feud and had decided not to engage in feuding or gun murders for fear of being targeted in the same way. Mr Kelly said although many people believed Irish crime groups were 'competing with each other and these groups would kill each other on sight, that isn't the way'. Instead, Irish gangs were 'coming together' to import drugs, or transit drugs through the country on to other final destinations. 'We used to be an end destination, now we're [also] a transit country, without a doubt. And in some ways, we're a production country now, around cannabis herb,' Mr Kelly said, in reference to the proliferation of cannabis growhouses in the Republic. 'We've even had large MDMA [and] methamphetamine seizures here that have been going out of the country. And some of the really big cocaine seizures ... some of them have been partly staying here, partly transiting through the country.' Earlier, the Garda Representative Association (GRA) said the key issues that the new Garda Commissioner will have to address are retention, the morale crisis within the force, the use of suspensions and discipline, lack of training and excessive bureaucracy. Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast on Tuesday morning, the GRA's general secretary, Ronan Slevin, said he hoped that whoever is appointed as Garda Commissioner will recognise those issues that need to be addressed immediately. When asked about the GRA's lack of faith in Mr Harris, Mr Slevin said that he had failed to address issues identified by the association over many years. 'He still is denying that there is a morale issue within An Garda Síochána. And I think that the resignation and retirement figures clearly demonstrate that there's a serious morale issue within the workforce.' Mr Slevin said that the new commissioner will have to address issues such as the inability to attract new members into the force, as well as the staff retention issue. 'Those are issues that he can address immediately, the use of suspension, discipline, the lack of training, the bureaucracy and administration tasks that members unnecessarily have to get involved in on a day-to-day basis. All of that is leading into a demoralised workforce and I think that the new Commissioner will have to address that,' said Mr Slevin. 'You have a force that are in some way in fear of working because they know that if they make any form of a mistake they will be disciplined severely as a result of that, and that strangles the workforce in the environment that our workforce is in.'

Former garda jailed for seven years for inciting men to rape colleague
Former garda jailed for seven years for inciting men to rape colleague

Irish Times

timean hour ago

  • Irish Times

Former garda jailed for seven years for inciting men to rape colleague

A former garda who impersonated a colleague online and incited men to come to her home and rape her has been jailed for seven years. Shane Flanagan (39), with an address in Co Clare, impersonated the woman on a fetish website and on Facebook and engaged in graphic online discussions with users of these sites about sexual violence, rape, cannibalism, torture and physical violence. He also shared the woman's personal information including her address, photos of her and her daughters and screenshots from the Strava app which showed her running route. Flanagan pleaded guilty to two counts of inciting two men to rape the woman on dates between November and December 2020. He further pleaded guilty to six counts of endangering the woman and her daughters between 2018 and 2020, and to one count of possession of four images of child sexual abuse material, known in law as child pornography, on January 7th, 2021. He has no previous convictions. Imposing sentence at the Central Criminal Court on Tuesday, Ms Justice Eileen Creedon said Flanagan's offending showed a 'breathtaking disregard' for the safety of the injured parties and that he would have been 'more alive to these dangers' due to his background as a garda. She imposed a sentence of eight years with the final 12 months suspended on strict conditions for three years. More to follow ...

Cabinet set to approve new Garda Commissioner to succeed Drew Harris
Cabinet set to approve new Garda Commissioner to succeed Drew Harris

Irish Times

time3 hours ago

  • Irish Times

Cabinet set to approve new Garda Commissioner to succeed Drew Harris

The successor to Garda Commissioner Drew Harris is expected to be named on Tuesday following a recruitment process. Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan will recommend the successful candidate to Cabinet at its meeting on Tuesday, and the appointment will be formally approved by Government. Mr Harris's term as commissioner will continue until September 1st. The number of senior Garda officers who applied for the commissioner's job, which was advertised in May and carries a salary of at least €314,000, was relatively low, according to sources. READ MORE Both serving deputy commissioners, who would normally be the front-runners for the job, are believed to have applied. Deputy Commissioner Justin Kelly has worked his full policing career in the Garda, having joined as a recruit via the Garda College, Templemore, Co Tipperary. Deputy Commissioner Shawna Coxon also applied for the role. She was appointed deputy commissioner in April 2021, having previously been deputy chief officer in the Toronto Police in Canada. A former senior officer in the PSNI, Mr Harris was appointed head of An Garda Síochána in October 2018 on a five-year contract, which was extended for a further two years. More recently his term was extended by another three months, despite the Department of Justice having initially strongly denied reports he had been approached about a second extension. Mr O'Callaghan said he intended for the new commissioner to be in place to take over from Mr Harris when he retires on September 1st. The recruitment process was run by Public Jobs, formerly the Public Appointments Service. The key issues that the new Garda Commissioner will have to address are retention, the morale crisis within the force, the use of suspensions and discipline, lack of training, and excessive bureaucracy, according to the general secretary of the Garda Representative Association, Ronan Slevin. Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast, Mr Slevin said he hoped that whoever is appointed as Garda Commissioner will recognise those issues that need to be addressed immediately. When asked about the GRA's lack of faith in Mr Harris, Mr Slevin said that he had failed to address issues identified by the association over many years. 'He still is denying that there is a morale issue within An Garda Síochána. And I think that the resignation and retirement figures clearly demonstrate that there's a serious morale issue within the workforce.' Mr Slevin said that the new commissioner will have to address issues such as the inability to attract new members into the force, as well as the staff retention issue. 'Those are issues that he can address immediately, the use of suspension, discipline, the lack of training, the bureaucracy and administration tasks that members unnecessarily have to get involved in on a day-to-day basis. All of that is leading into a demoralised workforce and I think that the new commissioner will have to address that,' said Mr Slevin. 'You have a force that are in some way in fear of working because they know that if they make any form of a mistake they will be disciplined severely as a result of that, and that strangles the workforce in the environment that our workforce is in.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store