Masked men broke into the house of Conor McGregor’s rape accuser, smashed her windows and stabbed her boyfriend while her daughter was asleep next door.
Believed to be supporters of the MMA star, the horrific rampage has emerged since a jury returned with their verdicts in the trial this afternoon, and awarded Nikita Hand nearly 250,000 euros.
McGregor, 36, faced an accusation that he ‘brutally raped and battered’ Ms Hand, 35, at a hotel in south Dublin in December 2018.
The story emerged at the outset of the trial, in the context of a claim she wanted to make, for the cost of moving away from Drimnagh in Dublin.
With no jury present, her counsel, John Gordon, told Judge Alexander Owens that the incident had happened on June 14 this year.
‘The plaintiff’s home was invaded by a group of men wearing balaclavas,’ he said.
‘They broke into the plaintiff’s bedroom, and were driven out by the plaintiff’s partner, who suffered a stab wound in the process. Her daughter was in the next room, sleeping.’
He said the men left, having broken windows in the front room.
‘We are not laying that at the feet of the defendants, or saying they have anything to do with that,’ he continued.
‘We do make the claim that it was not an untargeted attack, [it] arose from supporters of the first named defendant [Mr McGregor].
‘It is related to the claim that she had to move out of the Drimnagh area.’
Judge Owens asked: ‘You are not making the claim or going to tender evidence that Mr McGregor had anything to do with it?’
‘No, judge, it is an item of special damage,’ Mr Gordon replied.
‘It relates to her state of anxiety and her claim that she had to move from the Drimnagh area, as she now has done.’
The court heard she had sought relocation costs of €750,000.
Conor McGregor’s barrister, Remy Farrell, said it seemed Ms Hand was introducing a claim ‘which is nothing to do with us’.
‘It is extraordinary that there would be an attempt to smuggle something like that into the case…to increase the special damages,’ he said.
He complained that it would be ‘an invitation to the jury to speculate’.
Judge Owens ruled: ‘I consider this to be completely and utterly irrelevant and shouldn’t be referred to.’
Evidence was heard during the case from a property expert, who said that houses of a similar three-bedroom size to Ms Hand’s Drimnagh house could cost €200,000 more in neighbouring areas in Dublin such as Cabinteely.
Her GP also mentioned her ‘anxiety’ about living in Drimnagh, and told the court she had recently moved further away from her childhood practice.
However, at the close of the case, it was agreed by her counsel and Judge Owens that a claim would not be made for the house move.
The house break-in was confirmed by the Garda press office at the time, but no link was made to McGregor.
A Garda spokeswoman said: ‘Gardaí received report of an incident of aggravated burglary that occurred at a premises in Drimnagh, Dublin 12 at approximately 2.20am this morning, Friday, June 14.
‘One man in his 30s has been conveyed to St James’s Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries sustained as a result of this incident.’
McGregor shook his head as the jury of eight women and four men found him liable of assaulting Ms Hand.
The MMA fighter previously told the court he had consensual 𝑠e𝑥 with Ms Hand, also known as Nikita Ni Laimhin, at the Beacon Hotel. He denied causing bruising to the plaintiff.
McGregor has since vowed to appeal the decision – saying he was ‘disappointed’ and ‘focused on my future’.
Breaking his silence this afternoon, McGregor said: ‘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.’
Ms Hand cried and was hugged by her partner and supporters as the verdict was delivered. Outside the court, she described the last two weeks as a ‘nightmare’ but said she felt vindicated.
She separately lost her lawsuit against McGregor’s friend, James Lawrence, who she also accused of assaulting her in the Dublin hotel.
The total amount of damages awarded to Ms Hand by the jury was 248,603.60 euro (£206,621.91).
The jury awarded her €60,000 in general damages against McGregor, plus just over €188,000 for lost earnings as a result of the assault, which left her unable to continue working as a hair colourist due to post traumatic stress.
McGregor’s fiancée, Dee Devlin, had accompanied him to the High Court yesterday in a public show of support.
He was also joined by his mother, Margaret McGregor, his sister, Aoife McGregor and his brother-in-law, Terry Kavanagh, who is married to his sister, Erin.
It was the first time Ms Devlin and the McGregor women had been in court, and they made a glamourous group, sporting a number of designer labels between them, including Christian Dior and Chanel.
Ms Devlin held her fiancé’s hand, as the jury filed into court to deliver their verdict. His mother rubbed his arm, as he drew in a series of deep breaths. Having remained impassive throughout much of the evidence, he appeared close to tears, as he focused his eyes on the wooden panelling on the wall above Judge Alexander Owens.
Mr McGregor’s father, Tony, stood behind him, having attended the case every day.
Ms Hand leaned against her boyfriend Gary, whom she met in recent years, and who has been with her during the entire case. The jury has heard that she split from her former partner, her daughter’s father, around six months after the assault.
She thanked her partner for his support, saying he had held her hand throughout.
McGregor was silent as he left court.
He left swiftly in his Bentley, pulling away from a large media scrum without comment.
Ms 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 over two weeks of evidence.
She 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.
Ms Hand’s lawyer, John Gordon, said she 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.
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 was: ‘Did Mr McGregor assault Ms Hand?’
The second was: ‘did Mr Lawrence assault Ms Hand?’.
They had to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’. An answer of ‘yes’ to either moved the jury to deciding what damages to award Ms Hand.
On the verge of tears and struggling to keep her composure, she said outside the Four Courts in Dublin that she felt ‘vindicated’ after the jury agreed McGregor had assaulted her.
Ms Hand said she hoped her case will remind victims of assault to keep ‘pushing forward for justice’, and show her daughter, Freya, ‘that you can stand up for yourself if something happens to you no matter who the person is and justice will be served’.
She said: ‘I hope my story is a reminder that no matter how afraid you might be: Speak up, you have a voice and keep on fighting for justice.
‘I know this has impacted not only my life, my daughter’s, my family and friends tremendously.
‘It’s something that I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.
‘Now that justice has been served, I can now try and move on and look forward to the future with my family and friends and daughter.’
Asked if she felt vindicated following the jury’s decision, she said: ‘Yes, I do. Thank you.’
And speaking about what it is like to be believed, Ms Hand added: ‘I have no words – it is unbelievable.’
Ahead of the verdict, Justice Owens spent some time on Thursday summing up evidence heard over the two weeks, from witnesses including Ms Hand, who has no automatic right to anonymity, 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 reached a verdict to award damages, there were 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 could 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.
In civil cases, a defendant is found liable or not liable.