MMA fighter Conor McGregor‘s appeal against a High Court jury’s finding that he assaulted Dublin woman Nikita Hand in the penthouse of a hotel in December 2018 will be heard today.
A jury decided last November that McGregor must pay the mother-of-one almost €250,000 in damages, and a judge ruled he must pay her estimated €1.3million in legal costs.
The UFC star has argued there should be a full rehearing of Ms Hand’s claim in the High Court.
His grounds for appeal include claims that Judge Alexander Owens erred in directing the jury be asked to answer whether Mr McGregor ‘assaulted’ Ms Hand, rather than whether he had ‘sexually assaulted’ her.
He believes this leaves the verdict open to interpretation. His barrister, Remy Farrell, said McGregor is challenging how the judge allowed Ms Hand’s lawyers to ask McGregor about dozens of ‘no comment’ responses he gave gardaí in 2019 interviews, after he was arrested following a rape complaint made by Ms Hand.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) decided not to charge McGregor in relation to Ms Hand’s rape complaint after reviewing the evidence.
The Court of Appeal has also heard that McGregor is seeking to introduce new evidence.
He has alleged Ms Hand was beaten by her then-partner on the evening after she claimed she had been raped by the fighter.
McGregor said new evidence had come from Samantha O’Reilly and Steven Cummins, who lived across the street from Ms Hand and her then-partner Stephen Redmond at the time.
A jury decided last November that Conor McGregor (pictured) must pay the mother-of-one almost €250,000 in damages for allegedly raping her
McGregor’s appeal against a High Court jury’s finding that he assaulted Dublin woman Nikita Hand (pictured) in the penthouse of a hotel in December 2018 will be heard today
He said Ms O’Reilly had now alleged she saw a ‘heated row’ from her upstairs window on the night of December 9, 2018. He said she alleged Ms Hand was punched and kicked by Mr Redmond on the ground.
McGregor’s legal team has suggested this explained the serious bruising on Ms Hand’s body when she was taken by ambulance to hospital.
During a pre-appeal hearing, Judge Seamus Noonan, of the Court of Appeal, noted McGregor denied causing the bruising, but could not offer a plausible alternative explanation.
The bruising was a significant feature of the civil trial, the judge said. Ms Hand’s legal team has challenged the credibility of this evidence and queried why the witness did not come forward sooner.
The court heard the woman sent an Instagram message to McGregor after publicity about last November’s civil trial.
Ms Hand’s barrister, Ray Boland, said she had sworn an affidavit stating the neighbour’s allegations were lies.
Judge Noonan said an assessment of the credibility of the new evidence by the three-judge court would involve a consideration of all the evidence heard in the High Court.
