Conor McGregor has been found liable for the rape of Nikita Ní Laimhín (also known as Nikita Hand) in a civil trial at Dublin High Court after a two-week proceeding.
The jury of eight men and four women deliberated for over six hours before concluding that McGregor sexually assaulted Ms. Hand in the penthouse suite of the Beacon Hotel in December 2018.
Ms. Hand testified that McGregor left her “brutally raped and battered,” threatened her life, and put her in choke holds, allegedly saying, “Now you know how I felt in the octagon where I tapped out three times.”
McGregor denied the allegations, asserting that the encounter was consensual and described it as “enthusiastic, athletic, prolonged, and vigorous.” His friend, James Lawrence, who was also accused of sexual assault, was found not liable.
The court awarded Ms. Hand $196,000 in damages, with an additional $62,000, totaling $258,000. This was a civil trial, not a criminal one, as Ireland’s Director of Public Prosecutions chose not to file criminal charges following a police investigation. As a result, McGregor will not face jail time.
McGregor, accompanied by his wife Dee Devlin and mother Margaret, left court without commenting.
Outside, Ms. Hand expressed her resolve, stating: “I want to show everyone that you can stand up for yourself if something happens to you, no matter who the person is.”
Below is a photo of Ms. Hand outside the court:
Attorney John Gordon, representing Ms. Hand, accused McGregor of channeling anger from his 2018 UFC defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov into the assault, describing him as “a devious coward.”
McGregor later issued the following statement:
“I will be appealing today’s decision. 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.”
Jake Paul, brother of WWE Superstar Logan Paul, tweeted the following about this:
“Dana hits his wife
Conor’s convicted of rape
But I’m the bad guy?”
McGregor replied (but later deleted):
“No, you’re a little gay nerd (laughing emoji).”
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