Civil jury rules that Conor McGregor must pay $250,000 to woman who said he raped her

A woman claiming to be a mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor The woman who “brutally raped and assaulted” him on the rooftop of a Dublin hotel was awarded nearly 250,000 euros ($257,000) by an Irish civil court jury on Friday.

Nikita Hand said the attack, which occurred after a night of partying on December 9, 2018, left her seriously injured and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

McGregor testified that he never forced the woman to do anything against her will and said the woman made up the allegations after the two had consensual sex. His lawyer said Hand was a gold digger.

The fighter, once the face of the Ultimate Fighting Championship but now past his prime, shook his head after a jury of eight women and four men found him responsible for the attack after nearly six hours of deliberation at the High Court in Dublin.

He was mobbed by cameras as he left court but made no comment. He later said on social platform X that he would appeal the decision and the “modest award”.

Hand’s voice cracked and her hands shook as she read a statement outside the courthouse saying she would never forget what happened to her, but that she could now move on with her life. He thanked his family, partner, friends, jurors, judge and all the supporters who reached out to him online, especially his daughter.

“The last six years have given me so much strength and courage to continue to push for justice throughout this nightmare,” he said. “I want to show her and all other boys and girls that if something happens to you, no matter who the person is, you can defend yourself and justice will be served.”

The Associated Press generally does not name alleged victims of sexual violence unless they are made public, as Hand did. Under Irish law, he did not have the anonymity afforded him in a criminal investigation and his name was given publicly throughout the trial.

His lawyer told jurors that McGregor was angry about losing a fight in Las Vegas two months ago and took it out on his client.

“He is not a man, he is a coward,” attorney John Gordon said in his closing statement. “He’s a perverted coward and you should treat him as he is.”

Gordon said his client never acted like a saint and just wanted to have fun when he sent McGregor a message via Instagram after attending a Christmas party. He said Hand knew McGregor socially and they grew up in the same area.

He said he put her and a friend in a car and shared cocaine with them; McGregor admitted this in court on his way to the Beacon Hotel.

Hand said she told McGregor she didn’t want to have sex with him and that she was on her period. She said he told her “no” when he started kissing her, but eventually he pinned her to a bed and she couldn’t move.

McGregor choked him out and later said “now you know how I feel in the octagon where I took three strikes,” referring to a UFC bout in which he had to concede defeat.

Hand had to pause his emotional testimony several times over the course of three days. She said McGregor threatened to kill her during the encounter and she feared she would never see her young daughter again.

Finally he let her go.

“I remember saying I was sorry because I felt like I did something wrong, and I wanted to reassure him that I wouldn’t tell anyone so he wouldn’t hurt me again,” she testified.

She then said she let him do whatever he wanted and had sex with her.

The paramedic who examined Hand the next day stated that he had never seen anyone with such extensive bruising. A doctor told jurors that Hand had multiple injuries.

Hand said the trauma of the attack left her unable to work as a hairdresser, unable to pay her mortgage and forced to move out of her home.

Police investigated the woman’s complaint, but prosecutors declined to file charges, saying there was insufficient evidence and the likelihood of a conviction was low.

In his post about X, McGregor said he was disappointed that jurors couldn’t see all the evidence prosecutors reviewed.

He stated that the two had athletic and vigorous sex, but that it was not rough. “He never said ‘no’ or stopped,” he said, adding that everything he said was a lie.

“This is a complete lie among many lies,” he said when asked about the drowning claim. “Who would have believed that as a proud person, I would highlight my flaws?”

McGregor’s lawyer told jurors they should put aside their hostility towards the fighter.

“You may actively dislike him, some of you may even hate him; there’s no point in pretending it’s any different,” attorney Remy Farrell said. “I’m not asking you to invite him to Sunday brunch.”

The defense said the woman never told investigators that McGregor had threatened her. They also showed the court CCTV footage showing the woman kissing McGregor’s arm and hugging him after leaving the hotel room. Farrell said he looked “happy, happy, happy.”

McGregor said he was “beyond petrified” when he was first questioned by police and read them a prepared statement. On the advice of his lawyer, he refused to answer more than 100 questions.

A jury ruled against Hand in his case against James Lawrence, one of McGregor’s friends who he accused of having sex without his consent at the hotel.

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the claim that the jury found Conor McGregor responsible. The jury found McGregor responsible for the attack.

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