Jury selection has begun in a Boston court in the case against a Dublin firefighter charged with raping a woman in a hotel during St Patrick’s Day weekend in 2024.
Opening statements are expected on Monday at the Suffolk Superior Courthouse in the trial of Terence Crosbie (38).
Mr Crosbie faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty over the alleged assault of a 28-year-old woman in a Boston hotel room.
He has pleaded not guilty and denied having “any sort of sexual contact whatsoever” with the woman, his attorney Daniel C Reilly told the court.
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He is accused of assaulting the woman after his colleague Liam O’Brien met her at a nearby bar and brought her back to the men’s shared hotel room.
Mr O’Brien is one of more than two dozen witnesses expected to testify, the court heard on Thursday morning.
Potential jurors were informed that detectives, crime lab specialists and Boston area residents were also expected to testify, in addition to Aer Lingus staff.
Mr Crosbie flew into Boston on Thursday, March 14th, 2024 with his colleagues to take part in the city’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations.
On Thursday, Judge Sarah Ellis asked potential jurors if the defendant’s nationality “or the fact that he speaks with an accent” would make it difficult for them to be fair and impartial.
She also asked them about their personal histories with sexual assault, alcohol consumption and other potential biases.
US assistant district attorney Erin Murphy previously told the court that the accuser and Mr O’Brien met at The Black Rose, a downtown bar, and left together for the Omni Parker House, a historic hotel in Boston, at about 11.30pm.
It is claimed that the complainant then had consensual sex with Mr O’Brien before falling asleep.
According to Ms Murphy, Mr Crosbie entered the hotel room at 1.55am and the accuser woke up to find Mr Crosbie “actively raping her.”
The complainant allegedly asked Mr Crosbie to stop and he did not.
Instead, he is alleged to have said he “knew that she wanted this” and that it was “pathetic” that his colleague was asleep.
The complainant reported the alleged assault to police the following morning.
After being questioned by Boston police about the alleged assault, Mr Crosbie attempted to leave the country on an early flight home.
Mr Crosbie has been held in the Nashua Street jail in Boston since his arrest. His attorney previously claimed he was unable to make bail.
