Conor McGregor has warned ‘big actions are coming’ and he is ‘soon to be vindicated’ during a series of social media tirades against a decision to award his rape accuser nearly €250,000.
McGregor, 36, was found by a jury in a civil court to have sexually assaulted Nikita Hand, 35, at a hotel in south Dublin in December 2018.
After deliberating for six hours and 10 minutes, a jury of eight women and four men returned their verdict on Friday afternoon, awarding Ms Hand the substantial damages for her claim.
She separately lost her lawsuit however against Conor McGregor’s friend, James Lawrence, who she also accused of assaulting her on the same night out.
Today, McGregor slammed the decision and said he would appeal, while highlighting his friend’s ‘vindication’ to his 10 million followers on X.
Addressing the ‘heinous accusation’ he said: ‘Two men falsely accused. One vindicated, the other soon to be!
‘Congrats James Lawrence on absolute exoneration! Twice this heinous accusation was put to you and twice it was shown as FALSE! LIES!
‘It is absolutely disgraceful what they put you through here. Disgraceful!
Conor McGregor has warned he is ‘soon to be vindicated’ and is readying to launch an appeal against a decision to award his rape accuser nearly €250,000. Pictured: Conor McGregor leaves he High Court with his girlfriend Dee Devlin
McGregor, 36, faced an accusation that he ‘brutally raped and battered’ Nikita Hand (above), 35, at a hotel in south Dublin in December 2018
McGregor took aim against the decision, while highlighting his friend’s ‘vindication’ to his 10 million followers on X
‘I look forward to seeing you further vindicate yourself and lambast those responsible in court!
‘We know what happened that night! Everyone present knows, yet it was ignored.
‘Every single statement of persons present on the night was ignored. And they all disputed Nikita’s LIES!
‘However James they did believe you but just in certain parts for some strange reason. And they apparently did not believe Danielle Kealy at all. Laughable!’
McGregor then made reference to Ms Hand’s testimony in court, which had included allegations that she feared she was going to be ‘gang raped’.
During the trial, the prosecution lawyer asked: ‘You don’t remember that you told her you woke up and two body guards came into the room and you thought you were going to be gang raped?
‘And you ran off because you thought you were going to be raped by the security guard?’
Ms Hand said she did not remember because she was ‘all over the place’.
James Lawrence put out his own statement on Saturday night, which McGregor reposted to his X account, in which he revealed he intends to counter-sue Ms Hand for damages
McGregor strongly disputes the account put forward by Ms Hand and has signalled his intention to appeal the civil court decision
In his post, McGregor continued: ‘Also with the damages (60k and 188k, interesting choice of figures) it seems they didn’t believe Nikita much either.
‘How could they, her original story was she was gang raped by security and chased from the hotel on foot. Absolute nonsense.
‘How these lies were accepted, I will never know. A court of feeling and opinion, brainwashed in to people via the main stream media. Not of fact!
‘The reporting in court a laughing stock to everyone present. As clear as day bias.
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‘This is not a court of hard evidence and truth. It is a kangaroo court of opinions and feelings. We are not done yet. Not by a long shot. No chance. On we fight!
‘Justice and truth will prevail! Appeal! Appeal! Appeal! As well as other. Congrats James! Onwards and upwards!’
In a second post, McGregor took offence against a ‘biased’ journalist who described Ms Hand as ‘brave’.
He said: ‘Accusing a person of rape is brave? James was accused of rape and then even more again on the stand, and he was acquitted fully. That’s 3 times now. Twice by the dpp and once civil. No mention of him in your bias article here. Example A of what I was speaking of. Big actions are coming against these people for their actions.’
James Lawrence, co-defendant of Conor McGregor, outside the High Court in Dublin on Thursday
Lawrence put out his own statement on Saturday night, which McGregor reposted to his X account, in which he revealed he intends to counter-sue Ms Hand for damages.
Titling the post, ‘Your character will outweigh any lie told about you’, he wrote: ‘To anyone saying poor or brave Nikita this woman is an absolute disgrace and a slap in the face to any girl that did every go threw (sic) for REAL.
‘She lied nonstop through the hole case and was caught straight up lieing multiple times..I can’t remember…I can’t remember…I can remember
‘Everything and every word I said 6 years ago stayed the same till this day, not one word did I change everything I said turned out to a tee from the camera footage to messages she was sending her boyfriend in front of me…the hotel staff and taxi driver not one word I said turned out to be a lie.
‘Her own friend stood up against her to say she was lieing she tryed (sic) to sweep me under the rug and the papers are doing the same today.
‘I won my case against NIKITA HANDOUT which means the jury believed my story and not that lier (sic), she is now fully liable for all my legal fees and I will be sueing the LIER for damages.’
Both McGregor and and Lawrence strongly dispute the account put forward by Ms Hand and have signalled their intention to appeal the civil court decision.
Their statements come as questions were raised today over why the case had to be heard in a civil and not criminal court, as it was revealed the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) recommended not to bring criminals charges against McGregor and Lawrence in 2020.
Ms Hand joined family and supporters and said she felt vindicated by the outcome
Prosecutors said they did not do so because his accuser had consumed too much alcohol and too many drugs.
The reason was outlined to the jury during the case claiming that a ‘very high standard of proof’ would be needed and things such as the reliability and consistency of witnesses, the fact that Ms Hand had no recollection of having sex with Lawrence, the amount of alcohol and drugs she consumed, and her demeanour in CCTV footage were all factors that led to their decision.
The police file was twice, personally, reviewed by the then DPP Claire Loftus, but both times the same conclusion was reached; that they would not be able ‘to prove beyond reasonable doubt’ that a crime was committed.
A letter from the DPP’s office on August 7, 2020, stated that the police file contained statements of evidence, a sexual assault treatment unit report, reports from Forensic Science Ireland, CCTV from various locations, records obtained from the hotel, mobile phone records, photographs and cautioned interviews with suspects.
It also made it clear that the job of the Office of the DPP was to ascertain if there was a reasonable prospect of obtaining a conviction based on the available evidence.
‘We considered a number of offences, among which were rape and assault causing harm.’
It said the file was considered by a lawyer and that advice was also sought from a senior counsel with considerable experience of criminal cases. There was also a review by the director herself.
Both McGregor and Lawrence were identified and taken into consideration to determine if there was sufficient evidence to prosecute either of them, including examining available evidence, including the admissibility of evidence, and the sufficiency and strength of the evidence that would be presented at trial.
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Mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor and partner Dee Devlin and mother Margaret outside the High Court in Dublin, November 22, 2024
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The letter read: ‘The prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the suspect did it. The suspect does not have to prove their innocence.’
Ms Hand disputed this decision in a letter from August 20, 2020, which she wrote with the assistance of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, saying: ‘I am very unhappy. I feel I am being treated differently from other victims because one of the accused is a famous person.’
Adding that she believed she had not been given ‘any real reasons’ for criminal action to not be brought.
The DPP responded with a second letter on November 3 2020, which said that the case had been reviewed personally by Ms Loftus and the decision to not bring criminal charges ‘was correct and should stand’.
It said the case was ‘a very complex one to decide on for various reasons’, adding that the identity of one of the suspects had no bearing on their decision.
Ms Hand was told that the extent to which the evidence of witnesses was consistent and reliable was considered, as well as whether details in the evidence could be corroborated independently.
‘One significant factor in this case was the existence of a second suspect who claims to have had sexual intercourse with you after you say you were raped by the first suspect,’ the letter said.
Mr McGregor was the first suspect and Mr Lawrence the second suspect.
‘As you know, you have no recollection of intercourse with the second suspect and have stated that if sex had taken place it would not have been consensual,’ the letter continued.
‘You also described in your statement the amount of alcohol and drugs you had consumed.
‘The CCTV from the hotel as well as relevant witness statements from hotel staff and a taxi driver were considered.
‘That evidence would not in general tend to support a prosecution in respect of the second suspect and also had relevance to the overall strength of the evidence with respect to the first suspect.
‘It is not a question of who we as prosecutors believe.
‘Our job is to assess whether there is a reasonable prospect of conviction on the basis of all of the evidence.
‘The director concluded that there was no reasonable prospect of the conviction of either suspect in this case.’
Ireland’s Justice Minister Helen McEntee praised Ms Hand’s bravery and said she had shown ‘there is light at the end of the tunnel’.
McGregor previously told the court he had consensual sex with Ms Hand
McGregor has since vowed to appeal the decision – saying he was ‘disappointed’ and ‘focused on my future’
‘I just want to commend Nikita for her bravery, for her determination and the leadership that she has shown in what has been – I’ve no doubt – a very, very difficult time for her and indeed, for her family.’
She added: ‘Because of wonderful people like Nikita, I hope that it shows that there is light at the end of the tunnel, that there are supports available to people, and that there is justice at the end of the day.’
The total amount of damages awarded to Ms Hand by the jury was €248,603.60 (£206,621.91).
Nikita 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.’
McGregor has vowed to appeal the decision on social media – saying he was ‘disappointed’ and ‘focused on my future’.
In a now-deleted post, McGregor said: ‘I will be appealing yesterday’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.’