Conor McGregor has responded to the verdict in the civil trial accusing him of “brutal” rape and battery. On Friday, the MMA champ lost his highly-publicised sexual assault lawsuit and was ordered to pay the plaintiff nearly $257,000 in damages. Following the jury's verdict at Ireland’s high court, the 36-year-old expressed his “disappointment” and vowed to make an appeal in a statement shared on social media.
Conor McGregor breaks silence after losing civil rape trial
A jury in Dublin found that McGregor sexually assaulted Nikita Hand (also known - Nikita Ní Laimhín) at a hotel in the Irish capital after a night of heavy partying in December 2018. The UFC star had testified against the allegations, claiming that he never forced the plaintiff to do anything and that they had consensual sex. He also testified that the woman had fabricated the allegations against him.
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, just hours after the verdict, McGregor wrote, “I will be appealing today's decision. The judge's instruction and the modest award given was for assault, not for aggravated or exemplary damages. I am disappointed that the jury did not hear all the evidence that the DPP reviewed. I am with my family now, focused on my future. Thank you to all my support worldwide.”
During Friday's hearing, Hand's attorney John Gordon argued that McGregor had taken out his anger on his client after losing a fight in Las Vegas two months prior to the rape. “He’s not a man, he’s a coward,” Gordon told jurors, adding, “A devious coward and you should treat him for what he is." Recounting the horrific night she was abused by McGregor, Hand said that he tried to put her in a choke hold multiple times.
{{/usCountry}}During Friday's hearing, Hand's attorney John Gordon argued that McGregor had taken out his anger on his client after losing a fight in Las Vegas two months prior to the rape. “He’s not a man, he’s a coward,” Gordon told jurors, adding, “A devious coward and you should treat him for what he is." Recounting the horrific night she was abused by McGregor, Hand said that he tried to put her in a choke hold multiple times.
{{/usCountry}}“Now you know how I felt in the octagon where I tapped out three times,” McGregor told Hand, who told the court she feared for her life during the incident. “He let me go and I remember saying I was sorry, as I felt that I did something wrong and I wanted to reassure him that I wouldn’t tell anyone so he wouldn’t hurt me again,” she went on, adding that she later told him to do whatever he wanted, following which he had sex with her, reported New York Post.