A judge found probable cause that a former tenant of the Feaster Apartments public housing building twice raped a disabled neighbor.
Charged with two counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault is Paul Fierley, 50, who police said was evicted from the public housing building in January, due to “his behavior toward other residents.” Fierley appeared in the Portsmouth Circuit Court Monday for the hearing when Judge Sawako Gardner ruled there was sufficient evidence that he committed the crimes.
The judge also maintained Fierley’s $25,000 cash-only bail and his case was transferred to the Rockingham County Superior Court, where it’s expected to go before a grand jury.
According to an affidavit by detective Kristyn Bernier, Fierley raped the disabled woman twice on Nov. 1 when he knew she was developmentally disabled. The detective wrote in her affidavit that Fierley moved to Maine while knowing he was under investigation for sexually assaulting the alleged victim, as well as for “victimizing other vulnerable adults at Feaster Apartments.”
Last October, Fierley was convicted for simple assault and given a suspended jail sentence for giving a neighbor an unwanted kiss on the mouth. He pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor in the Circuit Court, admitting that on Oct. 19, 2011, he had “unprivileged contact” with the woman.
In exchange for his plea, Fierley was fined $500 and sentenced to the county jail for 10 days. The fine and jail time were suspended providing he remained of good behavior for a year, performed 20 hours of community service and had no contact with that victim for a year.
This article was written by Elizabeth Dinan and originally published on seacoastonline
