Brooklyn ex-con Tony Kempsey was held without bail for allegedly beating a woman unconscious in Woodside, and then raping her late last month, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. (Photo courtesy of NYPD)
May 15, 2023 By Bill Parry
A Brooklyn man was criminally charged with rape and assault in an attack on a woman in Woodside late last month, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Tony Kempsey, 58, of Butler Street in Boerum Hill, was arraigned May 12 before Queens Criminal Court Judge Jeffrey Gershuny on charges of rape in the first degree, two counts of assault in the second degree and sexual abuse in the first degree for allegedly raping a 49-year-old woman on a Woodside street after giving her a ride on his motorcycle and then beating her.
Brooklyn ex-con Tony Kempsey. (Photo courtesy of NYPD)
According to the charges, based on recovered video surveillance and an NYPD investigation, on Sunday, April 30, at approximately 5 a.m., Kempsey was riding a motorcycle in Elmhurst when he encountered the victim who was walking on the sidewalk and offered her a ride.
Photo courtesy of NYPD
He then drove the victim for a few minutes before parking the motorcycle and walking with her for a short distance near the intersection of 48th Avenue and 72nd Street where Kempsey suddenly punched the victim in the face repeatedly — causing her to fall to the ground and strike her head on the pavement, losing consciousness. After she fell to the ground, Kempsey allegedly raped her. The victim regained consciousness just as Kempsey rode off in an unknown direction.
The victim was able to summon help and was transported to NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, where she was treated for head trauma and other injuries and was listed in serious but stable condition.
Kempsey was taken into custody on May 11 in Brooklyn after police were tipped off to his location.
“This kind of horrific attack is a nightmare,” Katz said. “The defendant evaded arrest for weeks and now will be held accountable.”
Kempsey is an ex-con who served 20 years in prison for a subway slashing in 1992, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig. He was released in 2013 and placed on lifetime parole. His rap sheet includes 10 prior arrests, the most recent being for a 2017 subway stabbing, Essig said.
Judge Gershuny remanded Kempsey. If convicted he faces up to 25 years in prison.
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