Woman 'devastated' by DPP decision not to bring charges

A woman who alleges she was raped by mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor in a Dublin hotel almost six years ago has said she was "absolutely devastated" and let down when the Director of Public Prosecutions decided not to prosecute him for the alleged assault.

Nikita Hand, 35, has taken a civil action against Mr McGregor, and another man, James Lawrence of Rafters Road in Drimnagh, claiming she was sexually assaulted.

She is seeking damages. Both men deny her claims.

The action adjourned briefly at the High Court this morning, after Ms Hand, who was giving evidence, became upset.

She told the court that Mr McGregor choked her during an incident at a Dublin hotel in December 2018.

Ms Hand began her evidence to the jury at the High Court yesterday and resumed this morning.

As she gave her evidence, she was visibly very upset and told her Senior Counsel, Ray Boland that she was "really struggling with this right now".

Ms Hand described how Mr McGregor pinned her down to the bed and pressed his whole body weight on top of her so she could not breathe.

She said the more she struggled and tried to get away, the more he liked it and told her "Go on. I like that".

She said the only thing she could move was her head, and her only defence was to try to bite. She bit Mr McGregor and she said he did not like it.

Ms Hand was crying and her hands were shaking as she attempted to continue her evidence, despite reassurance from the judge, Mr Justice Alexander Owens.

Asked by Mr Boland, if it would help if they had a little break, Ms Hand agreed, and the court adjourned briefly.

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When proceedings resumed, Ms Hand told the court that she tried to talk Mr McGregor into stopping what he was doing. But she said he pinned her down onto the bed. She said she bit him and started to try her best to get away. She said she was shoving and trying to wriggle her way out and doing whatever she could.

Ms Hand said she remembered biting Mr McGregor really hard. After that she said she remembered him behind her with his arm around her neck choking her.

She told the court he choked her three times with the third time lasting a bit longer.

Asked by Mr Boland how this affected her, she said she just froze and could not move or breathe. She said she just kept looking at the bed posts and thinking about her daughter. She said she kept thinking she was going to die and was never going to see her daughter again.

"I just completely thought I was going to die," she said.

She said he let her go and she kept saying sorry to him to reassure him that she would not tell anyone so he would not hurt her again.

She told Mr Boland that Mr McGregor remarked to her "that's how I felt when I was in the octagon and I had to tap myself out three times," which she said she thought was "just a weird thing to say".

After that, she said she just let Mr McGregor do "whatever he needed to do" so she would survive. She said her mind was completely gone and she was not herself any more.

Ms Hand described Mr McGregor being really aggressive with her, shoving her head down to his penis. She said she was pulling her head back and he was "really aggressive, dragging out of my clothes."

At some stage they were both naked and Ms Hand told the court Mr McGregor raped her. She said while he was raping her she was completely numb and did not feel anything. She said she "completely froze".

Ms Hand said he got off her and it was done. She noticed afterwards, bruising on her arms, legs and bum and a really big bruise and scrape on her chest. She said this was caused by her own watch when she was pinned down and trying to defend herself.

She said when it was over, she sat on the side of the bed and started to put her clothes on but Mr McGregor told her to lie down with him for a while and she might fall asleep.

Ms Hand said she woke in a panic and got her phone to text her boyfriend as she was concerned he would be worried about her. She told him she was "having a great time" and was "so drunk" as she did not want to worry him.

Everyone was leaving the hotel room, Ms Hand said. Mr McGregor said there were cars to take people home. He left with her friend Danielle and she was going home with James Lawrence because she lived his way, she said. However despite going down to the garage in the lift, she and Mr Lawrence went back up to the room.

Ms Hand said that back in the room reality hit in and she remembered looking at her arms. She said she asked Mr Lawrence if they all "put a blind eye to what Conor does to women".

Mr Lawrence asked her if she was trying to say Conor had done that to her. When she said he had, she said he put his hand up to his head and told her he could not believe she was in that room and he was there while that was happening to her. She said one minute she was ok and the next she was crying.

He told her to relax and calm down and that he would get her some food.

Ms Hand said she remembered then waking up in a taxi and going to a friend’s house as she said she did not want to go home and face the reality of telling her boyfriend what had happened.

She said her friend was really upset for her and told her not to go home and have a shower and instead to ring the Rape Crisis Centre. She said her friend was shocked by how much bruising was on her body.

Ms Hand began sobbing as she gave this evidence and the court was adjourned briefly again.