Conor McGregor and Nikita Hand. (Image: PA)
The woman who accused of rape and won over £200,000 in a civil claim for damages was forced to relocate after her home was broken into by a group of masked men. The intruders stabbed her boyfriend while their baby slept in the next room.
Nikita Hand, the accuser, in Dublin on Friday. Former UFC champion McGregor had been accused of “brutally raping and battering” Hand at a hotel in south Dublin in December 2018.
McGregor denied the allegations in court. After just over six hours of deliberation, the jury returned their verdict that McGregor, 36, had assaulted Ms Hand.
Hand, also known as Nikita Ni Laimhin, lost her case against another man, James Lawrence, whom she accused of assaulting her by allegedly having sex without her consent at the same hotel.
McGregor, accompanied by his family, including his partner Dee Devlin, parents, sister and brother-in-law, shook his head after the jury announced that Hand had won her case against him.
At the beginning of the trial, the terrifying story of the break-in emerged, in the context of a claim she wanted to make, for the cost of moving away from Drimnagh in Dublin.
With no jury present, her counsel, John Gordon, told Judge Alexander Owens that the incident had happened on June 14 this year – although there was no suggestion that McGregor had anything to do with the break-in.
“The plaintiff’s home was invaded by a group of men wearing balaclavas,” stated Gordon. “They broke into the plaintiff’s bedroom, and were driven out by the plaintiff’s partner, who suffered a stab wound in the process. Her daughter was in the next room, sleeping.”
He added: “We are not laying that at the feet of the defendants, or saying they have anything to do with that. We do make the claim that it was not an untargeted attack, [it] arose from supporters of the first named defendant [Mr McGregor].
Judge Owens queried: “You are not making the claim or going to tender evidence that Mr McGregor had anything to do with it?” To which Mr Gordon responded: “No, judge, it is an item of special damage. It relates to her state of anxiety and her claim that she had to move from the Drimnagh area, as she now has done.”
The court heard she had sought relocation costs of €750k.
In response, McGregor’s barrister, Remy Farrell said it appeared as though Ms Hand was introducing a claim “which is nothing to do with us.
“It is extraordinary that there would be an attempt to smuggle something like that into the case… to increase the special damages,’ he said, and complained that it would be “an invitation to the jury to speculate.
Judge Owens ruled: ‘I consider this to be completely and utterly irrelevant and shouldn’t be referred to.
Nikita Hand, who is also known as Nikita Ni Laimhin, speaking to the media. (Image: PA)
The Garda press office confirmed a house break-in at the time, but did not link it to McGregor. A Garda spokeswoman stated: “Gardaí received report of an incident of aggravated burglary that occurred at a premises in Drimnagh, Dublin 12 at approximately 2.20am this morning, Friday, June 14. One man in his 30s has been conveyed to St James’s Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries sustained as a result of this incident.”
McGregor remained silent as he exited the courtroom but later announced on social media his intention to challenge the court’s ruling.
“I will be appealing today’s decision,” he declared. “I am with my family now, focused on my future. Thank you to all my support worldwide.”
Following the verdict, Ms Hand was visibly emotional and embraced by her partner.
Conor McGregor and partner Dee Devlin leave the High Court in Dublin. (Image: PA)
Outside the court, she expressed her desire that her experience would inspire other sexual assault survivors to persist in their quest for justice. “To all the victims of sexual assault, I hope my story is a reminder you have a voice and to keep on fighting for justice,” she said.
“But now that justice has been served I can now try and move on and look forward to the future with my family, friends and daughter.”
McGregor, who had previously claimed in court that his encounter with Ms Hand was consensual, reaffirmed his commitment to appeal the verdict.
“I will be appealing today’s decision,” he confirmed on social media. “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.”
The trial, which commenced on November 5, had previously been told of the events leading up to the assault.