Dublin firefighter's alleged rape victim had double legal alcohol limit in system, court hears

Sarah Slater

An American woman allegedly raped by a Dublin firefighter who was in Boston as part of St Patrick’s Day celebrations had more than double the legal alcohol limit when she was seen by doctors at a hospital Emergency Department, a court heard.

Terence Crosbie (38) from Dublin, who has been in custody for 18 months, is accused of raping an American woman at the Omni Parker House hotel in downtown Boston after celebrating at the Black Rose bar on March 14th, 2024.

He is pleading not guilty in his second trial, and Tuesday marks the start of the fourth day of evidence.

Last June, his court hearing which ended in a mistrial was told that Mr Crosbie from Dublin was in the American city with work colleagues as part of the St Patrick’s Day celebrations on March 14th, last year.

It is alleged that on March 15th last year, Crosbie raped the now 29-year-old woman at the hotel.

Mr Crosbie had flown to Boston from Ireland on the same day of the alleged incident with colleagues and he was scheduled to leave the following Tuesday, March 18th.

Hilary Griffiths, a toxicology analyst with Massachusetts State Police outlined to the court that she received a “toxicology kit with two blood samples from the alleged victim.”

The blood alcohol content at 2am on the morning of the alleged rape had a range of between 0.155 per cent and 0.235 per cent, while at 6am it was 0.135 per cent. In Massachusetts, the blood alcohol limit (BAC) is 0.08 per cent for drivers aged 21 and over.

John Fontana, director of security at Omni Parker House hotel, told the court that the premises has cameras inside and outside of the building, in all public areas and entrances.

There are no cameras in guest rooms or guest room hallways. The video is kept as part of regular business operations.

The hotel also tracks door activity through a “lock-readouts” system. The system shows keycard usage, deadbolt usage, doors opened from the inside and can distinguish between multiple keycards.

A video was provided to the Boston Police Department in March last year.

Mr Fontana said he could not identify who was using specific keycards at any given time.

Mr Crosbie was sharing a hotel room with a fellow firefighter, whom the victim said she had consensual sex with after meeting earlier in the Black Rose pub. They subsequently fell asleep in separate beds.

The victim alleged that she woke in the early hours of the following day to another man sexually assaulting her, and identified him to police as the defendant.

Taking the stand last week, the alleged victim testified to a text message she sent at 2.18 am saying that she woke up and “a guy was inside me.”

She walked home and then changed her clothes, put her worn clothes in a bag, and went to the hospital. At the ED, she consented to an evidence collection kit and met with nurses and doctors. Her blood was drawn, and she was prescribed medications, including Vyvanse and a medication for depression/anxiety.

A medical examination was performed at Massachusetts General Hospital. Two clinical experts reportedly testified that while DNA from two males was found in a swab, the results did not contain enough DNA to identify their source.

The alleged victim met with police at the hospital and then again on March 16th, last year where she identified a photo of Liam O’Brien, the man she had consensual sex with.

Opening statements were heard in Suffolk Superior Court last Thursday afternoon, according to Court TV.

Prosecution attorney Daniela Mendes detailed the events of the day and night in question and argued that the alleged victim was “clinically sober” despite having alcoholic drinks throughout the day.

Attorney Patrick Garrity gave the defense’s opening statement, arguing the alleged victim never identified Mr Crosbie as the attacker, despite claiming the lights were on in the room and that she got a good look at the suspect which points to reasonable doubt.

Mr Crosbie has been in custody on a $50,000 bail at the Suffolk County Jail since his arrest.

The trial continues on Tuesday. and is expected to last for five days.