A fundraiser set up for the legal defence of a Dublin firefighter accused of raping a woman in the United States raised more than €10,000 before being shut down.
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.
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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 was seeking to raise $45,000 (€38,500). In just over a day, there had been $12,138 in donations, the equivalent of about €10,500, from 64 people.
However, it was shut down on Friday. No reason was given.
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.
