BOSTON — For years, the victims of convicted rapist and former MBTA police officer Shawn McCarthy suffered silently after the sexual assaults, the women said in victim impact statements to the court.
McCarthy, 50, a former Wilmington resident who now lives in Maine, was sentenced to prison on Wednesday after a jury convicted him last week of raping two women while on duty in 2012.
Judge Joshua Wall sentenced McCarthy to four to six years in state prison with two years of probation to follow. He will also have to register as a sex offender.
One of McCarthy’s victims now works as a police officer. Assistant District Attorney Ian Polumbaum read her statement to the court, in which she said that she came forward to share her story “because it would be a disservice to society if I didn’t.”
“It was 11 years ago when, as a young physically and emotionally immature girl, I was assaulted by Shawn McCarthy. At that age, I should have been taken care of, not taken advantage of,” she said. “I looked up to police and aspired to one day be an officer myself. For a long time, my faith in law enforcement was destroyed. I was revulsed and silently condemned every man in uniform.”
McCarthy’s other victim broke down crying while addressing the court, saying her life was “forever changed” in July 2012.
“I lived with the secret of what happened to me for many years,” she said. “Substance abuse, eating disorders, depression, anxiety and nightmares became my daily life to repress everything, the feelings of being ashamed, dirty and worthless are ten 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 to disrespect others.”
McCarthy sat silently, motionless and looking straight ahead as she spoke and cried, and as Polumbaum read the other victim’s impact statement.
A jury on Friday convicted McCarthy of raping the two women while on duty after he drove them in his marked police cruiser to an area near the Museum of Science on July 6, 2012, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said.
“The strength and testimony of these survivors allowed us to hold Mr. McCarthy accountable for his actions. I am grateful for their courage and their decision to come forward,” Hayden said Wednesday. “This incident does not define them. In fact, as their statements make clear, sharing their stories has empowered them. I want to thank the prosecution team for supporting the survivors and the MBTA police for their strong investigative work throughout this case.”
On July 6, 2012, the victims, then in their early 20s, were drinking in Boston when they encountered McCarthy outside the Aquarium subway station, prosecutors said.
Against the advice of a fellow officer, McCarthy offered the women a joyride in his marked police cruiser and drove them around the area with blue lights flashing, prosecutors said.
“After stopping in a vacant lot so the women could relieve themselves, McCarthy said he hadn’t risked his job for nothing and he would not take them back downtown until he got something out of it,” Hayden said. The women told investigators that they feared getting in trouble and had no choice but to submit.
McCarthy raped one of the victims as she stood against the parked cruiser, and also raped the second victim as she sat in the backseat of the cruiser, Hayden said. McCarthy then drove the women back to the area where they had met “and warned them not to tell anyone about the episode.”
Polumbaum said during the sentencing hearing that McCarthy “had a lot of letters of support,” including from family and current and former police officers.
McCarthy’s defense attorney said the letters in support of his client, who is also a U.S. Navy veteran, “tell the story of a person who came from a very difficult background, came from a very troubled childhood and upbringing.” McCarthy is now a married father of two children and a coach, he said.
“He is not just this lawless police officer rapist that is depicted in the case,” his defense attorney said.
In addressing the court on Wednesday, one of McCarthy’s victims told the court that she realized “the first step to moving forward with my life is forgiveness, not for him, but for me.”
“Coming here, being honest and facing what happened freed me, freed me from the chains that have held me back for so many years. The burden is gone. And this may be a victim impact statement, but it’s also my survivor statement,” she said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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