Conor McGregor has scrapped an angry tirade against his rape victim after she was awarded £250,000 by him in a civil sexual assault case.
The 36-year-old UFC star was found by a civil court jury to have sexually assaulted 35-year-old Nikita Hand in a south Dublin hotel in December 2018.
A jury of eight women and four men returned their verdict on Friday afternoon, awarding Ms Hand significant damages for her claim after six hours and 10 minutes of deliberation.
Ms Hand told the Mail she expected to win her civil case because she told the truth ‘from day one’.
However, Ms Hand lost her case against McGregor’s boyfriend, James Lawrence, who she also accused of assaulting her on the same night out.
In a now-deleted post, McGregor quickly overturned the verdict and vowed to appeal, insisting he was waiting for “justice” just like his friend.
About the ‘horrific accusation’ he said: ‘Two men falsely accused. One was right, the other will be right soon!
‘Congratulations James Lawrence on absolute exoneration! Twice this horrible accusation was presented to you and twice it was shown as FALSE! LIES!
Conor McGregor leaves the High Court with his girlfriend Dee Devlin. A civil court jury found he sexually assaulted a woman at a hotel in south Dublin in December 2018.
McGregor took aim at the decision, highlighting his friend’s ‘justification’ to his 10 million followers on X. He has since deleted this post
Ms Hand joined family and supporters in saying she felt vindicated by the outcome
‘It’s absolutely shameful what they did to you here. Shameful!
‘I look forward to seeing you further vindicate yourself and shame those responsible in court!
‘We know what happened that night! Everyone present knows it, yet it was ignored.
“Every statement made by those present on the evening was ignored. And they all challenged Nikita’s LIES!
“But James, they did believe you, but only in certain parts for some strange reason. And apparently they didn’t believe Danielle Kealy at all. Laughable!’
McGregor then referred to Ms Hand’s testimony in court, which included allegations that she feared she would be raped by a gang.
During the trial, the prosecutor asked, “Do you not remember telling her that you woke up and two bodyguards came into the room and you thought you were going to be gang-raped?”
“And you ran away because you thought you were going to be raped by the guard?”
McGregor deleted his own tweets, but he reposted this supportive tweet
Conor McGregor’s co-accused James Lawrence was also accused of sexually assaulting Ms Hand but was acquitted
James Lawrence released his own statement on Saturday evening, which McGregor reposted to his X account, revealing he plans to sue Ms Hand for damages.
Ms Hand said she didn’t remember because she was ‘all over the place’.
In his post, McGregor continued: “Also with the damage (60k and 188k, interesting numbers) it seems like they didn’t believe Nikita much either.
‘How could they, her original story was that she was raped by security and chased out of the hotel on foot. Absolute nonsense.
‘How these lies were accepted I will never know. A court of feelings and opinions, brainwashed in people through the mainstream media. Not factual!
‘The reporting in the courtroom is a joke for everyone present. As clear as day prejudice.
“This is not a court of hard evidence and truth. It is a kangaroo court of opinions and feelings. We’re not done yet. Not by a long shot. No chance. We fight!
‘Justice and truth will prevail! Appeal! Appeal! Appeal! As well as others. Congratulations James! Onwards and upwards!’
In another post he wrote: ‘A man falsely accused of rape and lost.’
McGregor has now deleted the messages.
McGregor strongly disputes Ms Hand’s account and has indicated he plans to appeal the civil court decision
He did share a photo on Instagram with his son Mack, who was born in December last year.
McGregor has four children with his fiancée, Dee Devlin, whom he has been dating since 2008.
Although he has deleted his furious rant, McCregor has reposted a tweet from Keith Woods, which read: ‘Predictably, Official Ireland spokespeople are using today’s verdict against Conor McGregor to brand him a rapist.
“My personal opinion is that there is very little that makes sense in this case, and I was shocked by the guilty verdict.”
He then listed ten “key details” about the case before adding: “It is clear from the reactions of the regime’s mouthpieces to this that they welcome an opportunity to destroy McGregor’s reputation and destroy his voice in the Irish to neutralize politics, which is what they have been. I have been keen to do this since he spoke out last year and voiced the voices of many voiceless Irish people.
‘Whatever your feelings about Conor, he does not deserve the terrible label of rapist on this basis.’
The jury in the High Court civil case found McGregor sexually assaulted Ms Hand in a Dublin hotel in 2018, after a three-week trial that attracted widespread attention.
Mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor and partner Dee Devlin leave the Supreme Court
Conor McGregor and partner Dee Devlin and mother Margaret outside the High Court in Dublin, November 22, 2024
The jury awarded general damages of €60,000, damages for loss of earnings of €135,026, agreed medical expenses of €4,557.64 and loss of future earnings of €50,000.
The special damages awarded totaled €188,603.60. No aggravated or exemplary damages were awarded.
The total damages awarded amounted to €248,603.60.
The standard of proof in a criminal case is higher than in a civil case as jurors must be satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt before convicting. In a civil case, this standard is lower and a judgment can be made on the balance of probabilities.
The jury in the McGregor trial was told that the balance of probability meant that they had to decide whether something was more likely to be true than not.
After her win, Ms Hand told the Irish Mail on Sunday that the result means her young daughter will not have to grow up in a world where she has to ‘keep her mouth shut and say nothing’.
When asked how she was feeling the day after her marathon trial – which attracted global media attention – she admitted: “I’m just exhausted, to be honest, I’m just really tired,” adding that she’s “just trying to be friendly to now take it day by day’.
She also said she has been inundated with supportive calls, texts, emails and messages after a jury in a civil lawsuit awarded her damages to McGregor.
‘I’m just also very overwhelmed by the support I’ve received now.’
When asked if she expected to win the case, she replied: “To win? Yes, yes, yes. Yes, because my story is true. I always believed in my heart that I would [win].’
Referring to the decision by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) not to proceed with a criminal trial, she added: “Obviously that didn’t work out with the DPP, but yes, I always felt that I was going to win because I told the truth from day one, you know.”