Shawn McCarthy, a former MBTA Transit Police officer who raped two women while on duty in 2012, was sentenced to four to six years in prison on Wednesday.
The 50-year-old sexually assaulted the women after taking them from a joyride in his cruiser from near the Aquarium T station to an area near the Museum of Science on July 6, 2012. He'll serve two years of probation after he's released from the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center, and have to register as a sex offender.
"Although they were confined to a single night, these serious acts deserve serious incarceration … we cannot tolerate a police officer committing sexual assaults," Suffolk Superior Judge Joshua Wall said.
Resources for victims of sexual assault are available through the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-4673, and Massachusetts provides this list of statewide and resources for sexual assault survivors.
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McCarthy, who moved from Wilmington to Maine while the case was ongoing, broke into tears as the guilty verdict on three rape charges was delivered Friday.
The two victims provided statements in court on Wednesday — one read hers aloud, describing it not as a victim impact statement but as "my survivor statement."
"The feeling of being ashamed, dirty and worthless [is] 10 times worse when caused by someone who was previously in a position of power, someone who took an oath to serve and protect, yet took it upon himself to serve only himself and disrespect others," said the victim who was in court, in an emotional statement.
She noted that, when she told the truth about what happened, "the horrible feelings resurfaced," but she's been able to turn a corner and forgive both McCarthy and herself for what happened and start to heal.
The judge spoke about the importance of holding a police officer accountable for crimes committed while in uniform.
"Officer McCarthy was assigned that night to keep people safe in downtown Boston, not to meet women, but Officer McCarthy's personal desire to use his uniform to meet women is where this all started, and the night ended tragically, and intentionally, with three sexual assault crimes, all proven beyond a reasonable doubt," Wall said.
Prosecutors had said the victims, then in their early 20s, were out drinking in Boston when they encountered McCarthy outside the Aquarium MBTA station. He allegedly offered the two women "a joyride" in his marked police cruiser and drove them around the area with blue lights flashing.
More on Shawn McCarthy's case
After stopping at a vacant lot so the women could urinate, prosecutors said McCarthy told them he wouldn't take them back downtown unless he got something out of it. The women said they feared getting in trouble and had no choice but to submit as he sexually assaulted them. He then drove them back to the area where they had met and warned them not to tell anyone.
One of the victims disclosed the assault soon afterward to a relative. She again had to divulge the information while answering required questions for a law enforcement job in another community in 2019.
Prosecutors said McCarthy admitted that he had two women in the cruiser on the night in question but denied the sexual assaults ever took place. He was placed on administrative leave in 2019 and resigned soon afterward.
After the conviction, MBTA Transit Police Chief Kenneth Green released the following statement on the situation:
First and foremost, we must acknowledge the survivors in this horrific incident. We are in total admiration at the courage and bravery they displayed throughout this ordeal. We must also acknowledge Assistant District Attorney Ian Polumbaum whose experience, skills and abilities were brought to bear on behalf of the survivors and citizens of the Commonwealth to hold Shawn McCarthy accountable for his abhorrent, predatory and vile conduct. The jurors rendered a thoughtful and just verdict.
We are committed to restoring the faith and trust of those we are sworn to serve and protect.
