Conor McGregor LOSES sexual assault case and should pay €250,000 to lady who claims he raped her in lodge, jury decides

A woman who accused Conor McGregor of raping her in a Dublin hotel six years ago has won her claim against him for damages in a High Court civil case. 

Mr McGregor, 36, faced an accusation that he ‘brutally raped and battered’ Nikita Hand, 35, at a hotel in south Dublin in December 2018.

After deliberating for six hours and 10 minutes, the jury returned with their verdicts in the civil trial this afternoon, and awarded Ms Hand nearly 250,000 euros.

Mr McGregor shook his head as the jury of eight women and four men returned and found him liable of assaulting Ms Hand.

Mr McGregor previously told the court he had consensual sex with Ms Hand, also known as Nikita Ni Laimhin, at the Beacon Hotel. He also denied causing bruising to the plaintiff.

Ms Hand, however, has lost her lawsuit against Conor McGregor’s friend, James Lawrence, who she also accused of assaulting her in a Dublin hotel in 2018.

The plaintiff Nikita Hand alleged that McGregor sexually assaulted her on December 9, 2018, and that another man, James Lawrence, did the same, Ireland’s high court heard during two weeks of evidence. 

Hand said that she and a friend made contact with McGregor, who she knew, after a work Christmas party. 

She said they were driven by McGregor to a party in a penthouse room of a south Dublin hotel where drugs and alcohol were consumed.

She said McGregor took her a bedroom in the penthouse and sexually assaulted her. Hand’s lawyer, John Gordon, said Hand was on antidepressants, and ‘full of drugs’ at the time of the alleged assault.

While in the jury room today, the jury were given an issue paper to record their decisions. It asked two questions for them to provide a verdict on.

The first states: ‘did Mr McGregor assault Ms Hand?’

The second is ‘did Mr Lawrence assault Ms Hand?’.

They had to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’. An answer of ‘yes’ to either moves the jury to deciding what damages to award Ms Hand.

On Thursday, Justice Owens spent some time summing up evidence heard over the two weeks, from witnesses including Ms Hand, who has no automatic right to anonymity, Mr McGregor and Mr Lawrence.

Evidence has also been heard from police, paramedics, psychiatrists, an actuary, colleagues of Ms Hand as well as a former principal forensic medical officer. 

Justice Owens reminded them of a number of legal principles, including the standard of proof in a civil case which is on the balance of probabilities and that the onus of proof rests on the plaintiff.

He also reminded the jury that if they reach a verdict to award damages, there are several types of damages to consider including general, which covers pain and suffering to date and into the future, as well as distress and recognition of vindication.

Another type of damage includes aggravated damage which is payment to recognition of offences that shocked the plaintiff.

Exemplary damages are punitive damages which are to punish the defendant.

He said it should be an offence that is really serious, and that they can regard rape as really serious.

Justice Owens also said that someone attempting to cover up matters, or making statements that are ‘patently untrue’ are also serious.

Justice Owens told the jury to keep their feet ‘firmly on the ground’ and to ‘use their common sense’.

He told the jury that if they reach the stage of awarding damages, and when assessing what to give for loss of earnings, to deduct 15 per cent from their figure.

He told them this was called a deduction for contingencies as we live in ‘an uncertain world’, and the courts say these things have to be taken into account.

Justice Owens warned the jury not to talk to anyone about their deliberations, including their loved ones who he said may be interested in the case.

He told the jury to ‘look at all the evidence’.

The outcome of a civil case depends on the balance of probabilities, which is a lower standard of proof than the standard used in criminal cases.