Case No. 2929Rape (civil – sexual assault, damages claim) · Co. Dublin · 9 Dec 2018
Jury in Nikita Hand's civil case alleging rape by Conor McGregor to hear closing speeches
The jury in Nikita Hand's High Court civil action alleging she was raped by Conor McGregor and James Lawrence at the Beacon hotel on 9 December 2018 was sent away until closing speeches after the last defence witness, forensic physician Prof Basil John Farnan, gave evidence on bruising and the possibility of sexual intercourse with a tampon present.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In court12 Nov
7 reports - Verdict
- Sentenced
reportedhappened, not reportedlatest stagenot yet
Key facts
consolidated from all reports114 statements extracted from the articles
- whatDr Ann Leader diagnosed Nikita Hand with severe PTSD in December 2020 (irishtimes.com)
- whatMs Hand reported constant nightmares, panic attacks and detachment from friends (irishtimes.com)
- whatMs Hand was worried photos of her bruised body may be circulating online (irishtimes.com)
- whatMs Hand had no memory of alleged consensual sex with a second man on the day of the alleged rape (irishtimes.com)
- whatThis was the fifth day of the civil action (irishtimes.com)
- whatMs Hand is 35 and a hair colourist (irishtimes.com)
- whatBoth respondents have denied the claims (irishtimes.com)
- whatMs Hand drank alcohol and took cocaine at her Christmas work party on the night of December 8th 2018 (irishtimes.com)
- whatCCTV showed Ms Hand, a female friend, Mr McGregor and Mr Lawrence arriving at the Beacon hotel about 12.30pm (irishtimes.com)
- whatMr McGregor left with Ms Hand's friend around 6.13pm (irishtimes.com)
- whatMs Hand and Mr Lawrence left around 10.30pm (irishtimes.com)
- whatDr Leader diagnosed Ms Hand with severe PTSD, a psychiatric condition, with symptoms including nightmares, flashbacks, wanting to die, inability to function normally and feeling dirty, ashamed and guilty (irishtimes.com)
- whatOn review in March 2024, Dr Leader considered Ms Hand had improved but still had fluctuating PTSD symptoms (irishtimes.com)
- whatDr Leader did not have regard to CCTV when forming her opinion (irishtimes.com)
- whatMs Hand had anxiety symptoms in 2018 related to lifestyle and work stresses for which she was prescribed medication and had counselling, but did not have PTSD then (irishtimes.com)
- whatParamedic Eithne Scully examined Ms Hand on the morning of December 10th 2018 before she was taken by ambulance to the Rotunda hospital sexual assault unit (irishtimes.com)
- whatMs Hand had a small cut on her chin, bruising around her lower neck, and bruising around her chest, abdomen, buttocks and thighs (irishtimes.com)
- whatMs Hand told the paramedic she had been grabbed around the neck and that something about fighting somebody off and a threat was made (irishtimes.com)
- whatMs Hand did not name her attacker to the paramedic (irishtimes.com)
- whatDr Frank Clarke, a GP at Walkinstown medical centre, said Ms Hand was a patient there over some 20 years with a history of being an anxious person treated with serotonin medication (irishtimes.com)
- whatMcGregor said he did not see any blood and would not have sex if he had. (irishtimes.com)
- whatMs Hand is a 35-year-old hair colourist. (irishtimes.com)
- whatBoth men deny separate sexual assaults of Ms Hand at the Beacon Hotel on 9 December 2018. (irishtimes.com)
- whatAt the nightclub, McGregor ordered drinks for everyone and there was cocaine produced later. (irishtimes.com)
- whatMcGregor picked up Ms Hand and her work colleague Danielle Kealey. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe penthouse suite was two interconnecting hotel rooms, one with a bed and one with a sofa bed. (irishtimes.com)
- whatMcGregor said Ms Kealey and Mr Lawrence were on a sofa bed in the interconnecting room and the door between was open. (irishtimes.com)
- whatMcGregor said he fell asleep and was woken up by Ms Hand and Mr Lawrence each holding one of his legs up. (irishtimes.com)
- whatMcGregor believed he was about six hours in the hotel room. (irishtimes.com)
- whatA letter from McGregor's solicitors of 13 December 2018 asked gardaí to go to the hotel and preserve CCTV. (irishtimes.com)
- whatMcGregor agreed he had not offered his phone to gardaí. (irishtimes.com)
- whatMcGregor was beaten in a 'neck crank' in his UFC defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov in Las Vegas in October 2018. (irishtimes.com)
- whatMcGregor said a doctor had said bruising on Ms Hand's neck was consistent with a love bite. (irishtimes.com)
- whatMcGregor said the sex was athletic, physical, vigorous, prolonged, in a multitude of positions, and he did not have his hands around her neck. (irishtimes.com)
- whatDanielle Kealey said she saw Ms Hand go into an interconnecting room with Mr McGregor but did not know what was happening. (irishtimes.com)
- whatDanielle Kealey had sex with Mr Lawrence in the sittingroom of the suite and had used condoms. (irishtimes.com)
- whatDanielle Kealey's phone was broken. (irishtimes.com)
- whatNikita Hand is 35 years old (irishtimes.com)
- whatHand accused McGregor and his companion of sexually assaulting her in a Dublin hotel in December 2018 (irishtimes.com)
- whatHand stood up and left the courtroom during McGregor's testimony (irishtimes.com)
- whatHand was a colourist in a hair salon in Goatstown (irishtimes.com)
- whatHand sent McGregor a message on Instagram to invite him to their party (irishtimes.com)
- whatLawrence said he had consensual sex twice with Nikita Hand in a suite in the Beacon hotel on the evening of 9 December 2018 after McGregor had left. (irishtimes.com)
- whatLawrence said he saw Hand having sex with McGregor in an interconnecting room of the suite. (irishtimes.com)
- whatCCTV showed McGregor and Kealey leaving the hotel about 6.13pm and Hand and Lawrence leaving about 10.30pm. (irishtimes.com)
- whatLawrence said he knew McGregor from childhood and they became closer as they got older. (irishtimes.com)
- whatLawrence said he had not taken cocaine and has never taken cocaine in his life. (irishtimes.com)
- whatLawrence saw flirtatious behaviour between McGregor and Hand in the car and in the hotel suite. (irishtimes.com)
- whatLawrence could hear McGregor and Hand having sex and Hand moaning through the open interconnecting door. (irishtimes.com)
- whatLawrence saw Hand naked on top of McGregor through the interconnecting door. (irishtimes.com)
- whatMcGregor left with Kealey to give her a lift home in his car, driven by his security. (irishtimes.com)
- whatLawrence and Hand had sex using condoms when they returned to the hotel room. (irishtimes.com)
- whatLawrence could see a small bruise on Hand's leg or arm but it was nothing like the bruising shown later in photos. (irishtimes.com)
- whatIn cross-examination, Lawrence agreed Hand only made a complaint about his conduct after he went to the guards. (irishtimes.com)
- whatLawrence said Hand was in her right mind and was the one who had come on to him. (irishtimes.com)
- whatLawrence did not notice Hand having any tampon and said if she had, he would not have had sex with her. (irishtimes.com)
- whatMcGregor believed he had paid legal fees for Lawrence because Lawrence would not have the funds for the case. (irishtimes.com)
- whatHand said her tampon lodged at the top of her vagina and had to be removed by forceps at the Rotunda Hospital the day after (irishtimes.com)
- whatMcGregor denied the tampon, saying it was broad daylight and there was no tampon (irishtimes.com)
- whatBoth men deny her claim of alleged assault (irishtimes.com)
- whatMcGregor said Hand had sex with multiple people during the three-day period (irishtimes.com)
- whatMcGregor said he and Lawrence were the two people who had sex with Hand (irishtimes.com)
- whatMcGregor denied that Lawrence was used as a fall guy (irishtimes.com)
- whatMcGregor's DNA was found in the same location as the tampon (irishtimes.com)
- whatMcGregor was partying in Krystle nightclub with two women when the suite was booked (irishtimes.com)
- whatMcGregor left one of the women in Clontarf in his car (irishtimes.com)
- whatHand told gardaí she was very drunk and frightened in the hotel (irishtimes.com)
- whatMcGregor said there was no sign of distress from the evidence (irishtimes.com)
- whatMs Hand said she was raped by Mr McGregor in the hotel. (irishtimes.com)
- whatMs Hand had no memory of having sex with Mr Lawrence after Mr McGregor and Ms Kealey left. (irishtimes.com)
- whereMcGregor was living in the Ladycastle estate in the K Club in Co Kildare in December 2018. (irishtimes.com)
- whereMcGregor and others went to the Krystle nightclub in Dublin city centre. (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe group ended up in the penthouse suite of the Beacon Hotel (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe incident took place in the penthouse suite of a four-star Dublin hotel (irishtimes.com)
- whereThey were driven to Drimnagh (irishtimes.com)
- whereMcGregor has a house in Kildare (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe alleged assault occurred in the penthouse suite of the Beacon Hotel in Sandyford, Dublin. (irishmirror.ie)
- whenMcGregor was driven to a closing party for the District 8 nightclub on Saturday, 8 December 2018. (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe jury heard Hand and Kealey were partying from the evening of 8 December into the morning of 9 December 2018. (irishtimes.com)
- whenAll four arrived at the hotel about 12.30pm on 9 December 2018. (irishtimes.com)
- whenHand made a statement to gardaí on 9 January 2019. (irishtimes.com)
- whenMcGregor was interviewed at Dundrum Garda station on 17 January 2019 accompanied by his solicitor. (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe incident occurred on a Sunday afternoon in December 2018 (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe penthouse suite was booked in the early hours of the morning (irishtimes.com)
- whenMcGregor met Hand and her colleague Danielle Kealey at 10 in the morning (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe alleged assault occurred on 9 December 2018. (irishmirror.ie)
- whenEvidence suggested an incident occurred between 12pm and 6pm on 9 December 2018. (irishmirror.ie)
- whenThe alleged incident occurred at the Beacon hotel on 9 December 2018. (irishtimes.com)
- whenMs Hand and Danielle Kealey were partying from the evening of 8 December into the morning of 9 December. (irishtimes.com)
- whenMs Hand made a statement to gardaí on 9 January 2019. (irishtimes.com)
- whenPhotos of bruising on Ms Hand were taken at about 11pm on 9 December 2018. (irishtimes.com)
- chargeBoth respondents denied Hand's claims and pleaded they had consensual sex with her. (irishtimes.com)
- courtHand is suing McGregor and James Lawrence for civil damages (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe trial is taking place at Court 24 at the High Court (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe jury in the High Court civil trial was sent home until Tuesday. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtThe final witness was Professor Basil John Farnham, a trained forensic practitioner. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtMr Justice Owens told the jury all evidence has been heard and the next stages will be closing speeches and the judge's charge. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtBarrister Remy Farrell cross-examined Prof Farnham on behalf of Mr McGregor. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtRaymond Boland cross-examined Prof Farnham on behalf of Ms Hand. (irishmirror.ie)
- courtProf Basil John Farnan was the last witness called on behalf of Mr McGregor. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe jury consists of eight women and four men. (irishtimes.com)
- courtMr Justice Alexander Owens is presiding over the case. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe trial was on its eighth day. (irishtimes.com)
- otherProfessor Farnham also worked as a GP for 40 years. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherThere was evidence of photos taken of bruises after 11pm which were subsequently deleted. (irishmirror.ie)
- otherProf Farnan is a former principal forensic officer for Northern Ireland. (irishtimes.com)
- otherSertraline, an anti-anxiety medication, can cause purpura and a tendency to bruise. (irishtimes.com)
- otherIt is possible to have sexual intercourse with a tampon present in the vagina. (irishtimes.com)
- otherBoth respondents denied the claims and pleaded they had consensual sex with Ms Hand in the hotel. (irishtimes.com)
- otherCCTV showed Mr McGregor and Ms Kealey leaving the hotel at about 6.13pm. (irishtimes.com)
- otherMs Hand and Mr Lawrence left the hotel at about 10.30pm. (irishtimes.com)
- otherMs Hand made no allegation against Mr Lawrence until after he provided a statement claiming consensual sex. (irishtimes.com)
- otherMr McGregor was in court accompanied by his father Tony. (irishtimes.com)
- otherThe photos of bruising were deleted and are not available. (irishtimes.com)
The reporting
newest first- 15 Nov2024Jury in woman’s civil case alleging rape by Conor McGregor to hear closing speeches next week
Reports on the eighth day of the civil trial, covering Prof Farnan's evidence on bruising timelines and tampons, the jury being sent away until Tuesday for closing speeches, and background on the parties' accounts of the evening.
victim, Nikita Hand, female, non-irish (judged from name)Nikita Handaccused, Conor McGregor, male, named, irish (judged from name)Conor McGregoraccused, James Lawrence, male, named, irish (judged from name)James Lawrence - 15 Nov2024Conor McGregor jury sent home as evidence wraps up ahead of closing speeches
Final witness Prof Farnham gave evidence on bruising and forensic matters; jury sent home until Tuesday for closing speeches and judge's charge.
victim, Nikita Hand, female, non-irish (judged from name)Nikita Handaccused, Conor McGregor, male, named, irish (judged from name)Conor McGregoraccused, James Lawrence, male, named, irish (judged from name)James Lawrence - 14 Nov2024Miriam Lord: Joy is a word Conor McGregor returns to again and again. Nikita Hand paints a much darker picture
McGregor's second day in the witness box, describing the encounter as joyful and denying the tampon; Hand's account of the rape and the tampon being removed by forceps; McGregor's DNA found in the same location as the tampon.
victim, Nikita Hand, female, non-irish (judged from name)Nikita Handsuspect, Conor McGregor, male, named, irish (judged from name)Conor McGregorsuspect, James Lawrence, male, named, irish (judged from name)James Lawrence - 14 Nov2024Dublin man tells jury he would ‘never in a million years’ be ‘fall guy’ for Conor McGregor over rape claim
Lawrence's full testimony describing the evening at the Beacon hotel and McGregor's cross-examination and re-examination, including his garda statement, the tampon/DNA evidence, and his account of cocaine in the car.
victim, Nikita Hand, female, non-irish (judged from name)Nikita Handaccused, Conor McGregor, male, named, irish (judged from name)Conor McGregoraccused, James Lawrence, male, named, irish (judged from name)James Lawrence - 13 Nov2024Miriam Lord: Conor McGregor stuns High Court onlookers with evidence about night of alleged sexual assault
McGregor gave his opening evidence, describing the night in graphic detail, calling the encounter 'all happy' and 'athletic,' denying he caused the bruising or tampon issues, and stating he was 'under the weather' the previous night. Hand left the courtroom during his testimony.
victim, Nikita Hand, 35, female, non-irish (judged from name)Nikita Handsuspect, Conor McGregor, male, named, irish (judged from name)Conor McGregorsuspect, James Lawrence, male, named, irish (judged from name)James Lawrence - 13 Nov2024Conor McGregor says he had ‘vigorous’ and ‘fully consensual’ sex with woman in Dublin hotel
McGregor gave evidence in his own defence describing the evening from the District 8 closing party through to the Beacon Hotel, and was cross-examined on bruising, the tampon, his UFC loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov, and his failure to hand over his phone to gardaí. Danielle Kealey also gave defence evidence.
victim, Nikita Hand, 35, female, non-irish (judged from name)Nikita Handsuspect, Conor McGregor, male, named, irish (judged from name)Conor McGregorsuspect, James Lawrence, male, named, irish (judged from name)James Lawrence - 12 Nov2024Woman who alleges she was raped by Conor McGregor had ‘severe’ post-traumatic stress disorder, psychiatrist tells court
Fifth day of trial: psychiatric evidence of severe PTSD, paramedic evidence of bruising and physical injuries, GP evidence of long-term anxiety history, and Detective Sergeant Woods evidence on the investigation including the black jump suit and McGregor's arrest by arrangement.
victim, Nikita Hand, 35, female, non-irish (judged from name)Nikita Handsuspect, Conor McGregor, male, named, irish (judged from name)Conor McGregorsuspect, James Lawrence, male, named, irish (judged from name)James Lawrence