Registered sex offender charged with indecent assault
BOSTON, January 30, 2025 – A registered sex offender is facing a new charge after bystanders last Friday afternoon flagged police down to report an indecent assault on Tremont Street near Downtown Crossing and Boston Common, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.
KENNETH OSBORNE, 65, of Dorchester was charged Monday in BMC Central with indecent assault and battery on a person over 14. Judge Richard Sinnott ordered Osborne held on $5,000 bail with GPS monitoring if released.
Osborne will return to court March 5 for a pre-trial hearing.
At about 3:00 p.m. on January 24, multiple bystanders flagged down Boston police to report an indecent assault near 178 Tremont Street. The victim, visibly distraught, told police she was on her phone when an unknown male, later identified as Osborne, pressed against her and grabbed her buttocks. The victim told police Osborne fled toward Boylston Street when she turned around and asked “do I know you?”
The victim attempted to follow Osborne while filming him with her phone but was unable to keep up and lost sight of him.
Responding officers broadcasted Osborne’s description to other police in the area.
At about 3:30 p.m., officers located and detained Osborne near 505 Washington Street in Downtown Crossing. Officers conducted a field identification with the victim, who told them “that’s the man I was chasing.”
Osborne, a registered sex offender, was convicted of assault to rape and indecent assault and battery in 2006 and sentenced to state prison.
"While it’s fortunate that this victim didn’t sustain physical injuries, no one should downplay the fear and personal violation she experienced, nor the impact that incidents like this have on our sense of neighborhood safety and quality of life," Hayden said.
All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, Mass. The office handles over 20,000 cases a year. More than 160 attorneys in the office practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, and the Boston Juvenile Courts. The office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs to serve anyone who comes in contact with the criminal justice system. This office is committed to educating the public about the services we provide, our commitment to crime prevention, and our dedication to keeping the residents of Suffolk County safe.
James Borghesani, Chief of Communications