November 23rd 2024.
Conor McGregor, the famous mixed martial artist, was recently ordered to pay nearly €250,000 in damages to his rape accuser, Nikita Hand. The two were not strangers to each other, as they both lived in Dublin and moved in similar circles. However, their paths had never crossed until the night of the incident in December 2018.
At the time, McGregor was at the height of his career, known as 'Notorious' and boasting a huge fan base. He had won titles in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and had recently earned a staggering $130million in a boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr. On the other hand, Ms Hand, a hair colourist at a salon in Goatstown, had just bought a house with her boyfriend who was friends with Dee Devlin, McGregor's long-term partner and mother of his four children.
Although they were somewhat familiar with each other, they did not know each other well. Ms Hand even stated in court that they were not friends. That night, she had been out with colleagues for a Christmas party and had been drinking and using cocaine. Meanwhile, McGregor was partying at a club with his entourage, which included his security guard and a second car.
As the night went on, McGregor messaged Ms Hand on Instagram, asking her to join them at a hotel. They had previously interacted on social media, and McGregor had even promised her a bottle of his own-brand whiskey. Ms Hand agreed, and McGregor picked her and her colleague up in a luxury car. They then went to collect a friend and some cocaine before heading to the Beacon Hotel, which was just over a mile from the salon.
At the hotel, they continued to drink and party, and Ms Hand was left alone with McGregor when her friend and his friend went to have sex in another room. Ms Hand did not feel comfortable and repeatedly told McGregor that she did not want to have sex. However, he did not take no for an answer and proceeded to pin her down on the bed, ignoring her protests.
Ms Hand tried to resist and even mentioned McGregor's partner, Dee Devlin, in an attempt to get him to stop. But he continued to pin her down and even choked her at one point. When she tried to defend herself by biting him, he flipped her over and continued to assault her. As a result, she was left with bruises and scratches all over her body, including a possible tear in her vagina.
After the incident, Ms Hand sought medical attention and was found to have moderate to severe injuries. She then took legal action against McGregor, and the court found him liable for sexually assaulting her. It was revealed that McGregor had a habit of booking hotel rooms for the possibility of having sex, and that night, he was on a mission.
The incident had a profound impact on Ms Hand, who was out to have a good time but ended up being assaulted by someone she barely knew. It was a traumatic experience that left her with physical and emotional scars. McGregor's fame and fortune could not protect him from the consequences of his actions, and he was ordered to pay damages to his victim.
Conor McGregor, a well-known mixed martial artist, has been ordered to pay nearly €250,000 in damages to Nikita Hand, his rape accuser. But before that fateful night in December 2018, McGregor and Hand were not complete strangers. They both lived in Dublin but led very different lives. McGregor, at the age of 30, was already a world-famous persona known as 'Notorious' with a huge fan base. He had won titles in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and had recently earned a whopping $130 million in a boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr. On the other hand, Hand was a hair colourist working in a salon in Goatstown. Although they moved in similar social circles, they didn't really know each other.
Hand, who had just bought a house with her boyfriend, was friends with the brother of Dee Devlin, McGregor's partner since 2008, fiancée since 2020, and the mother of his four children. But despite these connections, they had never interacted much. However, everything changed when the court found McGregor responsible for sexually assaulting Hand.
On the night of the assault, Hand had been up for 24 hours, first staying late at the salon for pre-drinks with her colleagues, and then going to a circus-themed Christmas party in Ayrfield, north Dublin. After that, they made their way to a pub in Goatstown, where they stayed until closing time. Hand and her colleague then crossed the car park to go back to the salon, where they continued drinking and Hand even took cocaine.
Meanwhile, McGregor was at a closing party for a techno club in central Dublin, accompanied by his security guard and a second car and driver. He was seen on stage at the venue before moving on to a nightclub. There, he bought drinks for everyone and also indulged in cocaine. Later, around 4:30 am, he asked his security guard to book a hotel room. However, due to the Christmas party season, all the city center hotels were fully booked. That's when the penthouse suite at the Beacon Hotel in Sandyford became available. It was just over a mile away from the salon in Goatstown, where Hand and her colleague were the only ones left.
It was not unusual for McGregor to book hotel rooms for the possibility of having sex. And on that particular night, he was determined to fulfill his mission, as Hand's barrister, John Gordon, told the court. However, by this time, his friends were ready to call it a night. His friend's girlfriend went to bed with her boyfriend, and two women from their group went home after leaving the nightclub at 7 am. McGregor then messaged Hand on Instagram, asking her to be their replacement for the night. They had previously interacted on the platform, with Hand expressing interest in McGregor's own-brand whiskey bottles. They even exchanged numbers after McGregor complimented Hand's photo in a scarlet jumpsuit.
McGregor picked up Hand and her colleague around 9 am in a luxury black saloon and then drove to pick up his friend and a bag of cocaine. They shared the drug on the way to the hotel, where they ordered full-sized bottles of alcohol and played music via Bluetooth on the TV. But by the time Hand left, she had bruises on all four limbs, including purple and blue marks on her hands and wrists, a scratch on her breast, and tenderness in her neck. The doctor who treated her at the Rotunda Hospital's sexual assault treatment unit described her injuries as 'moderate to severe.'
Hand had gone to the hotel with McGregor and his friend, expecting to have a good time. But things went terribly wrong, as she told the court. When her colleague and McGregor's friend went to have sex in one of the rooms, Hand was left alone with McGregor. She did not feel comfortable and repeatedly told him that she did not want to have sex. But he wouldn't take no for an answer. He pinned her to the bed, telling her to relax, and even tried to choke her when she resisted. She managed to defend herself by biting him, but he flipped her around and continued to assault her.
In the end, Hand was left with bruises and abrasions all over her body, including a possible tear in her vagina from a tampon that had to be removed using forceps. It was a terrifying and traumatic experience for her, and she never consented to any sexual activity with McGregor.
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