November 22nd 2024.
A woman has been awarded nearly 250,000 Euros by a civil court jury in Ireland after claiming that mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor brutally assaulted her in a Dublin hotel penthouse. This incident occurred on December 9, 2018, after a night of partying, leaving the woman, Nikita Hand, heavily bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. McGregor, who once held the title as the face of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, but is now past his prime, shook his head in disbelief as the jury of eight women and four men delivered their verdict after six hours of deliberation in the High Court in Dublin.
According to McGregor, he never forced the woman to do anything against her will and claims that the allegations were fabricated after the two had consensual sex. His lawyer even went as far as calling Hand a gold digger. However, Hand's lawyer told the jurors that McGregor was angry about a fight he had lost in Las Vegas two months prior to the incident, and took it out on his client, stating that he was not a man, but a coward. Hand's voice cracked and her hands trembled as she read a statement outside the courthouse, stating that although she will never forget what happened, she can now move on with her life. She thanked her family, partner, friends, jurors, the judge, and all the supporters who reached out to her online, especially her daughter, who gave her the strength and courage to stand up for herself.
It should be noted that the Associated Press does not typically name alleged victims of sexual violence unless they come forward publicly, as Hand did. Under Irish law, she did not have the anonymity she would have been granted in a criminal proceeding, and was named publicly throughout the trial. Hand's lawyer also mentioned that she never pretended to be a saint and was just looking to have fun when she sent McGregor a message through Instagram after attending a Christmas party. She claimed that he picked her and a friend up in a car and shared cocaine with them on the way to the Beacon Hotel. Hand stated that she made it clear to McGregor that she did not want to have sex with him and that she was menstruating, but he ignored her protests and eventually pinned her to the bed.
Hand's testimony over the course of three days was emotional, as she had to take several breaks. She claimed that McGregor threatened to kill her during the encounter, and she feared that she would never see her young daughter again. Eventually, he let her go, and she testified that she apologized, thinking she had done something wrong, and didn't want him to hurt her again. She then allowed him to do what he wanted, and he had sex with her. However, a paramedic who examined Hand the next day testified that she had never seen someone with such severe bruising, and a doctor confirmed that she had multiple injuries.
Hand also stated that the trauma from the attack left her unable to work as a hairdresser, causing her to fall behind on her mortgage and move out of her house. Although the police investigated her complaint, prosecutors declined to bring charges, citing insufficient evidence and an unlikely conviction. In his post on the social platform X, McGregor expressed his disappointment that the jurors did not see all the evidence that prosecutors had reviewed. He testified in court that they had athletic and vigorous sex, but it was not rough, and that she never said no or stopped. He also claims that everything she said was a lie and that he would never highlight his shortcomings as a prideful person.
McGregor's lawyer asked the jurors to set aside their animus towards the fighter, acknowledging that some may even loathe him. He also mentioned that the woman never told investigators that McGregor threatened her life. In court, the defense showed surveillance footage that appeared to show the woman kissing McGregor's arm and hugging him after they left the hotel room, suggesting that she was happy. However, McGregor stated that he was beyond petrified when first questioned by the police and read them a prepared statement. On the advice of his lawyer, he refused to answer over 100 follow-up questions.
In addition to her case against McGregor, Hand also brought a case against one of his friends, James Lawrence, whom she accused of having sex with her without consent in the hotel. The jury ruled against Hand in this case. For those seeking support, they can contact 1800 RESPECT or the National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service.
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