Conor McGregor’s appeal to begin in civil assault case

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA

Conor McGregor’s appeal against a decision in a civil case in which a woman accused him of raping her is due to begin.

Former hairdresser Nikita Hand, 35, sued the mixed martial arts fighter over an incident at a south Dublin hotel in December 2018.

He was said to have “brutally raped and battered” Ms Hand in a penthouse at the Beacon Hotel.

During a three-week case at the High Court in Dublin last November, McGregor told the court he had consensual sex with Ms Hand.

After six hours and 10 minutes of deliberating, the jury of eight women and four men found McGregor civilly liable for assault.

Ms Hand was awarded €248,603.60 in damages.

McGregor was ordered by a judge to pay Ms Hand €100,000 of the damages and €200,000 of an expected €1.3 million in legal costs before the appeal, which the court heard had been done.

Ms Hand, also known as Nikita Ní Laimhin, lost her case against another man, James Lawrence, who she accused of assaulting her by allegedly having sex without her consent at the same hotel.

On Tuesday morning, the Court of Appeal in Dublin is to hear new evidence in support of McGregor’s appeal.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at drcc.ie/services/helpline/ or visit Rape Crisis Help.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can contact Women’s Aid (24-hour freephone helpline at 1800-341 900, email helpline@womensaid.ie) or Men’s Aid Ireland (confidential helpline at 01-554 3811, email hello@mensaid.ie) for support and information.

Safe Ireland also offers a number of local services and helplines at safeireland.ie/get-help/where-to-find-help/. In the case of an emergency, always dial 999/112.