Latest news with #legaldefence
Irish Times
a day ago
- Irish Times
More than €10,000 raised for legal defence of Dublin firefighter accused of rape in Boston
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.
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong to launch guide for professionals required to report child abuse cases
Hong Kong authorities will launch a guide for professionals required to report child abuse cases by the end of the month, which will include a decision tree that can be used as a legal defence in court. An ordinance that requires 25 education, healthcare and social work professions to report suspected cases of child abuse will come into effect on January 20 next year, with offenders liable for a maximum penalty of three months in jail and a HK$50,000 (US$6,370) fine. Welfare officials said at a legislative council meeting on Monday that a guide for these professionals would be released by the end of July and would include a decision tree and supplementary analytical framework. They also affirmed that more manpower and resources would be allocated to handle the anticipated uptick in child abuse case reports, such as residential childcare services and multi-professional support teams. 'The purpose of the guide is to help mandatory reporters identify suspected cases of child abuse and lay down the basic principles for their reference,' said Wendy Chau Fung-mui, assistant director of family and child welfare. 'The guide is a supplement, but not a replacement for the professional judgment of mandatory reporters … they do not have to use the decision tree when making a report if they have relevant experience.'
Irish Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
‘Honest belief' of consent to sex may no longer be a defence in rape cases
An 'honest' belief that an alleged victim had consented to sex may no longer be a legal defence in rape cases if proposals being considered by the Government become law. The Department of Justice and the Office of the Attorney General are currently considering the proposal to significantly modify the State's consent laws. The planned reform is at advanced stage, has the backing of the Law Reform Commission and is a key part of the Government's plan to take action on consent laws. Under the proposal, an accused person could not be acquitted of rape if a court found that their belief that the alleged victim had consented was not an objectively reasonable belief. READ MORE Case law in the State indicates that an accused person could defend themselves from a rape charge by testifying that they honestly believed their accuser had consented to sex, even if that belief is not reasonable or rational. In 2016, the Supreme Court found, in the case of The People (DPP) v C O'R, that an 'honest, though unreasonable, mistake that the woman was consenting is a defence to rape'. It added that the belief must be 'genuinely held' by the accused. In 2017, the attorney general asked the Law Reform Commission to examine the issue. The 'honest belief' defence came under scrutiny as the Oireachtas was passing a 2017 law that clarified the circumstances under which a person could not legally consent to sex. These included when they were asleep, unconscious, incapacitated by drugs or alcohol, or consenting under the threat or use of force. The Law Reform Commission advised a change of the law to clarify that an accused person commits the crime of rape if he 'does not reasonably believe' the alleged victim was consenting. The Department of Justice is now progressing the planned reform with the Office of the Attorney General. It is one of a number of reforms of the way the criminal justice system handles rape and sexual assault allegations, which is a focus for Government officials in the wake of a scoping inquiry into historic abuse in schools. Last week, the Government announced a commission of inquiry into the handling of historic sexual abuse allegations in schools. Officials from a number of Government departments, who were tasked with writing a report on the recommendations of the scoping inquiry published last year, noted that the majority of survivors who detailed their experiences with the scoping inquiry 'had a negative, and in some cases, retraumatising, experience with the legal system'. [ Officials resist schools abuse redress scheme Opens in new window ] In a report published last week, the interdepartmental group added that a negative experience with the legal system 'may influence survivors' perspectives on participating in a future process such as a commission of investigation'. Survivors had called on the State to 'make the legal system more accessible and appropriate for victims of sexual crimes'.
Reuters
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Istanbul mayor's jailed lawyer denounces 'fabricated' charges
ANKARA, July 7 (Reuters) - The lawyer for Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who like the mayor is in jail under an expanding crackdown on Turkey's opposition, told Reuters on Monday he faces "entirely fabricated" charges meant to criminalise the right to a legal defence. Mehmet Pehlivan, who had already been detained for a day in March, was held last month on charges of membership of an unspecified criminal organisation. A probe into the main opposition party, Imamoglu's CHP, was expanded well beyond Istanbul at the weekend, and dozens were detained. The arrest in March of Imamoglu, President Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival, sparked the biggest street protests in a decade, and a sharp selloff in the lira and other Turkish assets. In written responses from prison, Pehlivan said his arrest amounted to a bid to criminalise not only legal defence but the profession of lawyers as a whole: "We are faced with a mindless judicial practice that has severed its ties with reality and truth." Pehlivan said the evidence presented against him was false and based on a purported phone call and meetings he had never held, and alleged ties to a person he had never met. He said his work for Imamoglu had been restricted to his duties as a lawyer. "For the first time in the Republic's history, the practising the law has been categorised as a crime," he wrote. "Even if this categorisation causes a result for me today, its impact is a threat to all lawyers." The government rejects opposition allegations that the probe is politicised and anti-democratic, saying the judiciary is independent. In a statement on Sunday, Erdogan's office said that members of the ruling AK Party had also been investigated and arrested in the past over similar crimes. The office did not immediately respond to Pehlivan's allegation that the charges against him were baseless and a threat to legitimate legal activity.
