Conor McGregor loses appeal over finding in civil rape case

Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA

Conor McGregor has lost his appeal of a civil jury’s finding in favour of Dublin woman Nikita Hand, who had accused him of rape.

The MMA fighter lost his appeal on all five grounds that the case was taken.

Ms Hand (35) successfully sued McGregor in a civil court over an incident in which he was alleged to have “brutally raped and battered” her in a penthouse at a south Dublin hotel in December 2018.

The jury found that McGregor, who told the court he had consensual sex with Ms Hand, civilly liable for assault.

Ms Hand was awarded €248,603.60 in damages and McGregor was also ordered to pay about €1.3 million in legal costs following November’s trial.

McGregor then launched an appeal on the basis of five grounds.

Among the grounds was fresh evidence following an affidavit from a former neighbour of Ms Hand, Samantha O’Reilly, who said she had witnessed a physical row between Ms Hand and her then-partner at about the same time of the incident at the Beacon hotel.

Earlier this month, McGregor’s legal team dramatically withdrew that ground of appeal, saying it would no longer be relying on the material.

McGregor’s appeal proceeded on other grounds, largely relating to the circumstances under which his “no comment” answers to gardai were allowed to enter the trial.

Meanwhile, McGregor’s co-defendant has also lost his appeal against the trial judge’s decision not to award him his legal costs.

During the same trial in November, the jury did not find James Lawrence had assaulted Ms Hand at the hotel.

However, the trial judge decided that Ms Hand would not have to pay Mr Lawrence’s costs.

His legal team challenged whether that decision was correct and reasonable, arguing that Ms Hand should have to pay as the jury did not find he had assaulted her.

Delivering their judgment on Thursday, the three judges of the court – Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy, Mr Justice Brian O’Moore and Mr Justice Patrick MacGrath – agreed to dismiss both appeals in their entirety.

Reading out the judgment on behalf of the three-judge panel, Mr Justice O’Moore summarised the grounds for appeal before explaining the Court of Appeal’s reasons for dismissing all five grounds.

“I therefore dismiss the appeal in its entirety,” he said.

Ms Hand was embraced by her supporters in court after the judgment was delivered.

Neither McGregor nor Mr Lawrence were present in court.