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A woman who claimed she was “brutally raped and beaten” by mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor in a Dublin hotel penthouse was awarded almost €250,000 (A$400,000) by a jury in an Irish civil court on Friday.
Nikita Hand said the attack on December 9, 2018, after a night of partying, left her badly bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
McGregor testified that he never forced the woman to do anything against her will and said she made up the allegations after the two had consensual sex. His lawyer called Hand a gold digger.
The fighter, once the face of the Ultimate Fighting Championship but now in the prime of his career, shook his head as the jury of eight women and four men delivered their verdict after deliberating for around six hours at the High Court in Dublin.
While leaving the court, he was attacked by cameras, but he did not comment. He later said on the social platform X that he would appeal the verdict and the “modest award”.
Handa’s voice cracked and her hands shook as she read a statement outside the courthouse, saying she would never forget what happened to her, but that she would now be able to move on with her life. She thanked her family, partner, friends, jurors, the judge and all the fans who reached out to her online, and especially her daughter.
“She has given me so much strength and courage over the last six years during this nightmare to keep pushing forward for justice,” she said. “I want to show (her) and every other young woman and young man that you can stand up for yourself if something happens to you, no matter who the person is, and justice will be served.”
The Associated Press generally does not name alleged victims of sexual assault unless they come forward publicly, as Hand did. Under Irish law, she did not have the anonymity she would have received in criminal proceedings and was publicly called out during the trial.
Her attorney told jurors that McGregor was angry about a fight he lost in Las Vegas two months earlier and lashed out at his client.
“He’s not a man, he’s a coward,” attorney John Gordon said in his closing argument. “A sneaky coward and you should treat him for what he is.”
Gordon said his client never pretended to be a saint and just wanted to have fun when she messaged McGregor on Instagram after attending a Christmas party. He said Hand knew McGregor socially and they grew up in the same area.
She said he picked her and a friend up in a car and gave them cocaine, which McGregor admitted in court, on the way to the Beacon Hotel.
Hand said she told McGregor she didn’t want to have sex with him and that she was on her period. She said she told him “no” when he started kissing her, but he ended up pinning her to the bed and she couldn’t move.
McGregor put her in a choke hold and later told her, “now you know how I felt in the Octagon where I got punched three times,” referring to the UFC match when he had to concede defeat, she said.
Hand had to take several breaks in his emotional testimony over three days. She said McGregor threatened to kill her during the encounter and she feared she would never see her young daughter again.
In the end he let her go.
“I remember saying I was sorry, because I felt I had done something wrong and I wanted to assure him that I wouldn’t tell anyone so he wouldn’t hurt me again,” she testified.
She said that she then let him do what he wanted and that he had sex with her.
The nurse who examined Hand the next day testified that she had never seen anyone with such intensity of bruising before. A doctor told jurors that Hand had multiple injuries.
Hand said the trauma of the attack left her unable to work as a hairdresser, defaulting on her mortgage payments and having to move out of her home.
Police investigated the woman’s complaint, but prosecutors declined to press charges, saying there was insufficient evidence and a conviction was unlikely.
In his post on X, McGregor said he was disappointed jurors didn’t see all the evidence prosecutors reviewed.
He testified that the two had sporty and vigorous sex, but that it was not rough. He said she “never said ‘no’ or stopped” and testified that everything she said was a lie.
“It’s a flat out lie among many lies,” he said when asked about the choking allegations. “How could anyone believe that I, as a proud person, would point out my shortcomings.”
McGregor’s lawyer told jurors they must put aside their animosity toward the fighter.
“You may actively dislike him, some of you may even hate him — there’s no point pretending the situation could be any different,” said attorney Remy Farrell. “I’m not asking you to invite him to Sunday lunch.”
The defense said the woman never told investigators McGregor threatened her life. They also showed the court a surveillance video they say shows the woman kissing McGregor’s hand and hugging him after they left the hotel room. Farrell said she looked “happy, happy, happy.”
McGregor said he was “beyond petrified” when he was first questioned by police and read them a prepared statement. On the advice of his lawyer, he refused to answer more than 100 additional questions.
A jury ruled against Hand in a case she brought against one of McGregor’s friends, James Lawrence, whom she accused of having sex with her in a hotel without consent.
Readers seeking support can contact 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or the National Sexual Abuse Support and Redress Service on 1800 211 028.
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