An Irish firefighter who raped a woman while visiting Boston for the St. Patrick’s Day parade last year was sentenced to up to nine years in prison Thursday despite letters of support from his wife and kids.
Terence Crosbie, 39 — who was convicted of the disturbing, 15-minute attack at the city’s posh Omni Parker House on March 15, 2024 — pleaded with the judge to let him return to his family in Ireland at the hearing.
But Suffolk Superior Court Judge Joshua Wall called the rape “an act of extraordinary sexual violence” that unfolded while the victim was “safely asleep, under the covers in a locked hotel room” — and handed down the seven to nine-year sentence, according to the Boston Globe.
His lawyers had filed 80 pages of letters in his support, including one from his wife, and a joint letter from his two daughters, ages 15 and 8, the paper reported.
“Our dad is the kindest, most caring, and hardworking person we know. He always puts our family first and makes sure we feel loved, safe, and supported,’’ the siblings wrote, asking the judge to send him home. “He is not just our dad — he is our hero.”
It wasn’t immediately clear what his wife wrote in her letter.
Crosbie’s lawyer, Daniel Reilly, had asked for a three- to five-year sentence, citing Crosbie’s otherwise clean record.
“His conviction is serious, is egregious, and regrettably, it will have a long, lasting impact on the victim and others,’’ Reilly said. “That said, Mr. Crosbie’s life amounts to more than that 15 minutes and this conviction. He’s a husband and a dedicated father to two young daughters.’’
His unidentified accuser tearfully described how the rape has disrupted her life and shattered her confidence at the sentencing hearing.
According to reports, the attack occurred after the woman had had sex with a friend of Crosbie’s in a hotel room the two men shared. After the consensual encounter with the fellow Irish firefighter, the woman passed out in a separate bed — and then woke up later to find Crosbie has entered the room, got in her bed and started raping her.
“My rapist has never offered an apology or any indication of regret for what he did,’’ she said. “It frightens me to think someone could attack another person and never feel the need to apologize or show any sense of remorse.’’
Crosbie pleaded not guilty and has denied ever touching the woman.
