MMA fighter’s five grounds for appeal rejected by three-judge panel at Dublin Court of Appeal
Conor McGregor has lost his appeal against the finding of a civil jury that he sexually assaulted a woman.
Three judges in the Court of Appeal in Dublin rejected all grounds of McGregor’s appeal.
The MMA fighter was accused of raping Nikita Hand, who was awarded damages after a jury at Dublin’s High Court found in November that McGregor assaulted her in a Dublin hotel in 2018.
Appeal Dismissed in Its Entirety
After the jury found him civilly liable, McGregor appealed on the basis of five grounds, one of which involved new evidence that was dramatically withdrawn at a hearing earlier this month.
Reading out the judgment on behalf of the three-judge panel, Mr Justice Brian O’Moore summarised the grounds for appeal before explaining why the Court of Appeal dismissed all five grounds.
“I therefore dismiss the appeal in its entirety,” he said.
Ms Hand was in court to hear the judgment, while Mr McGregor was not present.
Background to the Case
The appeal stems from a High Court civil trial in November 2024, where a jury found McGregor had sexually assaulted Ms Hand at the Beacon Hotel in Dublin on 9 December 2018.
Ms Hand, a 36-year-old mother of one and hair colourist, told the jury McGregor raped her in the hotel after she told him “in a nice way” she did not want to have sex. She said she felt uncomfortable, they had mutual friends, she was menstruating at the time with a tampon inside her and would not have sex during her period.
McGregor, she said, “would not take no for an answer” and she stopped resisting him after he put her in a chokehold three times, leaving her struggling to breathe.
Jury Award and Damages
The jury of eight women and four men awarded Ms Hand €248,603.60 (£206,500) in damages after deliberating for six hours and 10 minutes. The damages comprised €188,603.60 in general damages with an additional €60,000 in special damages.
McGregor denied rape and said they had “vigorous”, “athletic” and “fully consensual” sex without “an iota of distress” from Ms Hand.
The jury found that James Lawrence, McGregor’s friend who was also sued by Ms Hand, had not assaulted her. Lawrence had claimed he had consensual sex with Ms Hand twice after McGregor left the hotel, which Ms Hand said she had no memory of and described as a “made-up story”.
Grounds for Appeal
McGregor’s appeal was based on five grounds, including claims over the conduct of the 12-day High Court hearing by Mr Justice Alexander Owens.
Some grounds focused on whether the trial judge erred in directing that the jury be asked to answer whether or not McGregor “assaulted” Ms Hand rather than “sexually assaulted” her. His legal team argued there was a possibility that there may have been confusion amongst some members of the jury.
Another ground related to McGregor’s “no comment” responses during Garda questioning. His barrister Remy Farrell SC argued these responses appeared to have been “conflated” with statements McGregor made in the witness box, potentially forming an unfairly negative view of his candour.
Dramatic Withdrawal of Evidence
In a dramatic turn at the Court of Appeal hearing on 1 July, McGregor withdrew his application to introduce fresh evidence regarding the case. The evidence related to proposed testimony by former Northern Irish state pathologist Professor Jack Crane concerning sworn affidavits from Ms Hand’s former neighbours.
Samantha O’Reilly and Stephen Cummins had claimed they witnessed an altercation within Ms Hand’s apartment at the time of the disputed incident in December 2018. O’Reilly had alleged she observed from her window a row between Ms Hand and her then-partner Stephen Redmond, inferring he had assaulted her on the ground.
Mark Mulholland KC, representing McGregor, said he had an obligation to withdraw this specific ground of appeal as it could not be legally sustained. The three-judge panel expressed surprise at the late withdrawal, with Justice Isobel Kennedy noting the situation was “unsatisfactory”.
Hand’s Response to New Claims
Ms Hand had strongly refuted the neighbours’ claims in a responding affidavit, stating her then partner “did not assault me on the night of December 9th/10th 2018 and never assaulted me in the course of our relationship or since.
She said she and Mr Redmond had a verbal argument downstairs in their house that night, a recording of which was played during the High Court case, but it was not so loud that Ms O’Reilly could have heard it.
The extensive bruising seen on Ms Hand’s body when examined by a doctor in the Rotunda hospital the day after her encounter with McGregor was significant evidence in the High Court case. Gardaí also took photos of the bruising on 11 December 2018.
Legal Costs Ruling
Following the November verdict, Mr Justice Owens ruled in December that McGregor must pay the bulk of Ms Hand’s legal costs, estimated at more than €1 million (£830,000). The costs are on the normal party-party basis, not the higher solicitor-client basis sought by Ms Hand’s side.
The judge found McGregor and Lawrence were “in lock step with each other” during the trial, with both men filing a joint defence and being represented by the same solicitors.
McGregor’s Initial Response
Following the November 2024 verdict, McGregor posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he would appeal, stating: “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.”
The Director of Public Prosecutions had previously decided not to pursue criminal charges, telling Ms Hand there was “no reasonable prospect” of conviction of either McGregor or Lawrence, citing the high standard of proof required in criminal cases.
Impact on Ms Hand
During the trial, it emerged that Ms Hand had to move from her home after a group of men in balaclavas broke into her house and stabbed her partner in June. This information could not be reported at the time as it was disclosed in court in the absence of the jury.
Speaking outside court after the original verdict, Ms Hand said: “To all the victims of sexual assault, 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.
The Court of Appeal’s dismissal of McGregor’s appeal marks the end of his legal challenge to the civil jury’s finding, confirming the verdict that he sexually assaulted Ms Hand in December 2018.
Follow for more updates on Britannia Daily
