Woman wins civil rape case against Conor McGregor

The woman who accused Conor McGregor of raping her has won a civil damages claim against him.

A jury found that the Irish mixed martial arts fighter attacked Nikita Hand at a Dublin hotel in December 2018.

He was ordered to pay her more than €248,000 (£206,000) in compensation.

Speaking outside the court on Friday, Ms Hand said her story was “a reminder that no matter how afraid you are to speak up, you have a voice”.

In a post on X on Friday evening, McGregor said he would appeal the verdict and thanked “all my support around the world.”

“I’m with my family now, focused on my future,” he added.

The jury at the High Court in Dublin deliberated for a day before reaching a verdict that McGregor had indeed assaulted Ms Hand.

She also brought a case against another man, James Lawrence, 35, of Rafter’s Road, Drimnagh, Dublin.

She accused him of attacking her by having sex with her without her consent at the Beacon Hotel.

The court found that he had not attacked her.

Ms Hand told reporters she was “overwhelmed and touched” by the support she had received.

She added: “I want to show (my daughter) Freya and every other young girl and boy that you can stand up for yourself if something happens to you, no matter who that person is, and that justice will be served.”

Both men denied the 35-year-old hair colorist’s claims and said they had sex with Ms Hand separately in a hotel almost six years ago.

After eight days of evidence and three days of listening to the judge’s closing arguments and comments, the jury of eight women and four men spent six hours and 10 minutes deliberating before reaching their verdict.

McGregor shook his head as the jury read that Ms Hand had won the case against him.

He was accompanied by his partner Dee Devlin, parents, sister and brother-in-law.

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

Ms Hand cried as her partner and supporters hugged her.

The jury had previously heard that on the day of the attack, Ms Hand and her colleague Danielle Kealy had gone to the hotel’s penthouse suite with McGregor and Mr Lawrence after a business Christmas party.

They testified that they partied all night from December 8 until the morning of December 9 and that they drank a lot and took cocaine.

Ms Hand, a mother of one, told the court how McGregor pinned her to the bed before attacking her.

She was left with extensive bruises and abrasions all over her body, including her hands and wrists.

After she said McGregor “choked” her, she developed a bloody scratch on her chest and tenderness on her neck.

He denied causing the bruises, saying it may have happened after the “swan” dipped into the hotel room’s bathtub.

The following day, Mrs Hand was taken by ambulance to the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin, where she was assessed in the sexual assault unit.

The paramedic who examined Ms Hand told the court she had not seen “someone so bruised” in a long time.

The jury was told that Ms Hand had to give up her job as a hairdresser and has since been unable to work due to her mental condition, that her relationship with her partner ended several months after the incident, that she had to move out of her home in Drimnagh and that he was in arrears on his mortgage.

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

The court heard she spent more than €4,000 (£3,326) on GP, ​​pharmacy and psychotherapy costs.