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Conor McGregor, former UFC champion and one in every of the most important names in mixed martial arts fighting, has been ordered to pay greater than 250,000 Euros (roughly C$360,000) to a girl who accused him of raping her at a hotel in Dublin in 2018.
McGregor, whose civil case played out in Ireland’s high court, must hand over the funds damages to Nikita Hand, who also goes by Nikita Ní Laimhín.
Hand previously said McGregor “brutally raped and battered” her on Dec. 9, 2018. The assault happened after an evening of partying left her heavily bruised and affected by post-traumatic stress disorder, she said.
McGregor testified that he never forced the girl to do anything against her will and said she fabricated the allegations after the 2 had consensual sex. His lawyer had called Hand a gold digger.
Speaking outside the court after the two-week trial, Hand thanked her family and a member of the rape crisis centre, who sat at her side throughout the course of the trial, reports The Guardian.
Nikita Hand speaks to the media outside the High Court in Dublin after the non-public injury case against Conor McGregor.
Brian Lawless/PA Images via Getty Images
Referring to her daughter, she said: “I would like to indicate Freya and each other girl and boy which you could rise up for yourself if something happens to you, irrespective of who the person, is and justice will likely be served.
“To all of the victims of sexual assault, I hope my story is a reminder that irrespective of how afraid you is perhaps, speak up, you’ve a voice, and carry on fighting for justice.”
McGregor was mobbed by cameras as he left court but didn’t comment. He later said on the social platform X that he would appeal the decision and the “modest award.”
Throughout the trial, Hand’s lawyer told jurors that the fighter was indignant a couple of fight he had lost in Las Vegas two months earlier and took it out on his client.
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“He’s not a person, he’s a coward,” lawyer John Gordon said in his closing speech. “A devious coward and it’s best to treat him for what he’s.”
Gordon said his client never pretended to be a saint and was only seeking to rejoice when she sent McGregor a message through Instagram after attending a Christmas party. He said Hand knew McGregor socially and that that they had grown up in the identical area.
She said he picked her and a friend up in a automobile and shared cocaine with them, which McGregor admitted in court, on the approach to the Beacon Hotel.
Hand said she told McGregor she didn’t wish to have sex with him and that she was menstruating. She said she told him “no” as he began kissing her but he eventually pinned her to a bed and he or she couldn’t move.
McGregor put her in a chokehold and later told her, “Now you recognize how I felt within the octagon where I tapped out thrice,” referring to a UFC match when he had to confess defeat, she said.
Hand needed to take several breaks in emotional testimony over three days. She said McGregor threatened to kill her throughout the encounter and he or she feared she would never see her young daughter again.
Eventually, he let go of her.
“I remember saying I used to be sorry, as I felt that I did something flawed and I desired to reassure him that I wouldn’t tell anyone so he wouldn’t hurt me again,” she testified.
She said she then let him do what he wanted and he had sex together with her.
Mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor and partner Dee Devlin outside the High Court in Dublin.
Brian Lawless/PA Images via Getty Images
A health care provider and paramedic who treated Hand following the rape testified, confirming multiple injuries consistent together with her claims. The paramedic said she had never seen that intensity of bruising before.
Hand also alleged that one other man, James Lawrence, who joined the party, sexually assaulted her. The jury found that Lawrence didn’t assault Hand.
McGregor has not fought since a July 2021 TKO loss to Dustin Poirier. It’s been greater than eight years since he most recently held a UFC title, which was stripped from him for failure to defend.
Hand’s lawyer told the court that his client took the civil court case primarily to be vindicated, after public prosecutors said a criminal conviction was unlikely attributable to insufficient evidence.
On X, McGregor wrote that he was disenchanted jurors didn’t see all of the evidence the prosecutors had reviewed.
— with files from The Associated Press
Should you or someone you recognize is experiencing abuse or is involved in an abusive situation, please visit the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime for help. Also they are reachable toll-free at 1-877-232-2610.
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