News Reporter Kelly Smyth covers the latest developments in the ongoing Civil Case against Irish mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor, who has been accused of rape and sexual assault.
On November 5, court proceedings for a civil case against Irish mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor began after hairdresser Nikita Hand claimed she was sexually assaulted and raped by McGregor and his co-defendant, James Lawrence, in December 2018. Mr McGregor has 20 prior convictions, one of which for assault.
Ms Hand alleges that she had been choked three times and raped by Mr McGregor in a hotel room in the Beacon Hotel Dublin in 2018. The civil case follows the Director of Public Prosecution’s denial to prosecute Mr McGregor under a criminal suit.
Ms Hand told the court that she and a friend had attended a work Christmas party in the hotel that night, where she admits they had consumed a large quantity of alcohol and cocaine.
According to Ms Hand, Mr McGregor forcefully raped her in the penthouse suite, claiming her damaged clothing provided to Gardaí, in addition to visible bruising, are evidence of this.
Following the alleged rape by Mr McGregor, Ms Hand was seen on CCTV with Mr Lawrence. The defence argued that her behaviour on the footage was “playful” and did not look as if she was in distress from a violent rape. Ms Hand refuted this, claiming she does not remember being with Lawrence and would not have had consensual sex with him.
Both Mr McGregor and Mr Lawrence have denied the accusations levied against them in this case, with both men claiming the sexual intercourse with Ms Hand was consensual.
The defence proposed that Ms Hand spun a “web of lies” because she lied to her boyfriend about the rape the night it happened. Ms Hand responded to this by saying “I lied to my boyfriend, that is not a crime. What happened to me was a crime.”
Ms Hand was also accused of lying about her medical history. She claimed in her testimony that she experienced mild symptoms of anxiety prior to the alleged attack, which worsened afterwards. However, the defence displayed evidence that she had previously been prescribed Sertraline, an antidepressant. Psychiatrist Dr Ann Leader told the court that she had concluded Ms Hand was suffering from severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
In response, a witness supported Ms Hand’s claims that she expressed extreme distress the following day in her workplace, in addition to visible bruising. Two paramedics who attended to Ms Hand on the day following the alleged rape gave evidence to court, with one telling the court she had not "seen someone so bruised in a long time."
Detective Sergeant John Ryan, who had spoken to Ms Hand at the sexual assault unit in Rotunda Hospital, also expressed that he believed she was visibly distressed. While receiving treatment in the unit, a pair of forceps were required to remove a tampon that was “wedged” high up in Ms Hand’s vagina.
Mr McGregor was called to the witness box on Wednesday 13 November, and told the court Ms Hand showed “no signs of distress” in his company, and that she did not receive the bruises from him.
As of time of writing, all evidence has been presented to the jury, and the trial is ongoing.