A DUBLIN firefighter visiting Boston for St Patrick's Day has been charged with raping a woman in the city.
Terrence Crosbie, 37, was detained on a plane as he attempted to leave the United States three days before his scheduled departure date.
He has since been ordered to surrender his passport and is due to return to court next month.
'Attempting to leave the country'
Police in Boston learned that Crosbie had flown to the city from Ireland last Thursday, March 14, with other members of the Dublin Fire Brigade and was due to depart on Tuesday, March 19.
Assistant District Attorney Erin Murphy said that on Friday morning, police interviewed a 28-year-old woman at Massachusetts General Hospital.
She told officers that she had been sexually assaulted at the Omni Parker House hotel earlier that morning.
Detectives secured video surveillance from the hotel and from the Black Rose, a bar and restaurant in Boston, where both Crosbie and the victim had been on Thursday evening.
Crosbie was interviewed by police on Saturday, after which he booked a flight for 10.10pm that night, days before his scheduled departure date.
At the airport, he boarded an even earlier flight, departing at around 7pm.
However, state police stopped the plane on the tarmac of Boston's Logan International Airport and removed Crosbie.
"As always in these matters, the willingness of the victim to come forward is crucial," said Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden.
"This victim deserves enormous credit for doing that in this case.
"I'm grateful for the alertness of police in finding out that Mr Crosbie was attempting to leave the country before he could be held accountable for his actions."
Fire brigade investigation
At Boston Municipal Court Central Division on Monday, Crosbie was charged with one count of rape and held on $100,000 bail.
He was also ordered not to leave Massachusetts and to surrender his passport.
He will return to court on April 16 for a probable cause hearing.
In a statement, the Dublin Fire Brigade said its Chief Fire Officer had been made aware of a criminal investigation involving one of its members, who was immediately placed on leave.
"We cannot comment on the specific circumstances but we would reiterate the high standards that we expect from all who represent our organisation at any event," added the statement
"As a result we are conducting an internal investigation and establishing the facts in collaboration with the appropriate authorities and the organisers of the delegation.
"As this is a criminal investigation we will not be making any further comment at this time."
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