Nikita Hand wins civil rape case against Conor McGregor

A woman who accused Irish mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor of raping her in a Dublin hotel has won her claim against him for damages in a High Court civil case.

The jury in the civil case against Mr McGregor delivered its verdict on Friday afternoon.

The total amount of damages awarded to Ms Hand by the jury was €248,603.60.

A crying and shaking Ms Hand bowed her head and listened to the verdict surrounded by family, supporters and her boyfriend.

Mr McGregor bowed his head and remained seated upon hearing the verdict.

Mr McGregor had faced an accusation that he “brutally raped and battered” Nikita Hand at a hotel in south Dublin in December 2018.

The UFC sports star previously told the court he had consensual sex with Ms Hand in a penthouse at the Beacon Hotel.

Ms Hand, who is also known as Nikita Ni 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.

Following eight days of evidence and three days listening to closing speeches and the judge’s charge, the jury of eight women and four men spent six hours and 10 minutes deliberating before returning with its verdict.

Mr McGregor shook his head after the jury read out that Ms Hand had won her case against him.

Mr McGregor was accompanied by his family, including his partner Dee Devlin, parents, sister and brother-in-law.

He sat in the back row of the court, between his partner and mother, Margaret.

Ms Hand, 35, cried and was hugged by her partner and supporters.

A number of gardaí were in the courtroom as the verdict was delivered.

The case, which opened on November 5, had previously heard that on the day of the attack, Ms Hand and her work colleague Danielle Kealy went to the penthouse suite with Mr McGregor and Mr Lawrence after their work Christmas party.

They had given evidence of how they had been partying all night from December 8th and into the morning of December 9th, and had been heavily drinking and taking cocaine.

Ms Hand, a mother-of-one, told the court how Mr McGregor had pinned her to the bed in the hotel bedroom before assaulting her.

During her evidence to the court, Ms Hand said she thought she would never see her young daughter again when the MMA star was “choking” her.

The court heard that as she was being attacked, she “froze and couldn’t move or breathe”.

She said she had held up both hands and had tried to get away from him, but said the more she struggled, the more he appeared to like it.

“The only thing I could move was my head. I bit him but I can’t remember where. He didn’t like it, so he flipped me around and put his arm around my neck and choked me,” she said.

Ms Hand, a mother-of-one, was left with extensive bruises and abrasions over her body, including purple and blue bruising along her hands and wrists, a bloodied scratch on her breast and tenderness on her neck after she said she was placed in a “chokehold” by Mr McGregor.

Mr McGregor denied he caused the bruising across her body, saying they could have been caused when she “swan dived” into the bath in the hotel room.

The court heard how Ms Hand suffered serious physical and psychological injuries as a result of the attack by Mr McGregor and that she had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Ms Hand was taken in an ambulance to the Rotunda Hospital the following day where she was assessed in the sexual assault treatment unit (SATU).

A paramedic, who examined Ms Hand the day after the assault, had told the court she had not seen “someone so bruised” in a long time.

Ms Hand had also been worried about a tampon she had been wearing on the night she was assaulted.

Dr Daniel Kane, who works as a gynaecologist as well as a forensic examiner in sexual assault cases, explained how he had to use forceps to remove the tampon which had been “wedged inside”.

Ms Hand broke down several times as she gave evidence for almost three days and sought a number of breaks.

The jury had been told how Ms Hand had to leave her job as a hairdresser and has not been able to work since due to her mental health, that her relationship with her partner ended months after the incident, she had to move out of her home in Drimnagh, and her mortgage is now in arrears.

Ms Hand is to be awarded €60,000 in general damages and €188,000 in special damages, said Mr Justice Alexander Owens.

The court has already been told that 'special', or medical damages, have been agreed by both sides.

She also said she had to stop seeing a counsellor because she could no longer afford to pay for the sessions.

The court also heard that she has spent more than €4,000 on GP, pharmacy and psychotherapist costs.

In a statement on the social media platform X, Conor McGregor has said he will be appealing Friday’s decision at the High Court in Dublin.

He said: “The judge’s instruction and the modest award given was for assault, not for aggravated or exemplary damages.

“I am disappointed that the jury did not hear all the evidence that the DPP reviewed. I am with my family now, focused on my future.

“Thank you to all my support worldwide.”

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.