Conor McGregor gulped for air and held his mother’s hand as a jury of eight women and four men prepared to give their verdict in his rape trial on Friday.
The MMA fighter paused and repeated ‘easy, easy’ to himself as the jury returned from six hours and 10 minutes of deliberations to judge him liable for assault.
As the High Court in Dublin fell silent, McGregor’s heavy breathing could be heard in the moments before the decision as his mother held his hand.
His partner, Dee Devlin, stroked his arm in support to calm him as the jury condensed two weeks of hearings into their final verdict.
Nikita Hand had alleged that McGregor sexually assaulted her on December 9, 2018, and that another man, James Lawrence, did the same, the court heard.
McGregor shook his head and buried it in his hands as the jury deemed McGregor liable and awarded Hand nearly €250,000.
Hand separately lost her lawsuit against McGregor’s friend, James Lawrence.
Outside the court on Friday afternoon, she described the two weeks as a ‘nightmare’ – but said she felt vindicated.
McGregor arrived to court on Friday in a chauffer-driven Rolls-Royce with his partner, Dee.
They were joined by members of McGregor’s family and an entourage of support, including boxing coach Phil Sutcliffe.
McGregor dressed in a navy suit with a green tie and white shirt, with a small handkerchief protruding from his blazer pocket.
It was a long day for all involved. The jury left after 10am and delivered their decision shortly before 5pm on Friday afternoon.
Ahead of the verdict, Justice Owens had reminded the jury on Thursday of their responsibilities.
He pointed to legal principles including the standard of proof, which is the balance of probabilities in such a civil case.
He also reminded them of the various damages to consider, and told them to ‘use their common sense’ in making a decision.
The jury retired to the jury room to review an issue paper with two questions to provide a verdict on.
The first asked plainly: ‘Did Mr McGregor assault Ms Hand?’
The second followed: ‘Did Mr Lawrence assault Ms Hand?’
An answer of ‘yes’ to either question moved them to decide what damages to award Hand, who is also known as Nikita Ni Laimhin.
In the courtroom, Hand took her seat, followed by McGregor and his group.
His mother tried to calm him as he began to cry, and his father joined him.
Justice Owens returned and warned the room against any agitation.
The jury returned and Justice Owens asked if they had a verdict.
McGregor looked on as they said that they did, and delivered their decision.
He slumped forwards with his head in his hands as the verdict was given.
They found that McGregor did assault Hand, and awarded her €248,603.60 (£206,621.91).
Hand cried and was hugged by her partner and supporters as the jury left, having concluded two weeks of intense deliberation over the events of December 9, 2018.
They had heard how McGregor and Lawrence sexually assaulted Hand at a Dublin hotel room after a Christmas party.
Hand had recalled how she contacted McGregor after a night out, continuing through the next morning.
She said they were driven to a party in a penthouse room of the Beacon Hotel and consumed alcohol and drugs together, collecting Lawrence en route.
The plaintiff claims she was choked and violently raped by McGregor sometime between 12:30pm and 6pm that day.
McGregor told the court he had had consensual sex with Hand, but denied the allegations he assaulted her or caused bruising.
Barrister Remy Farrell FC argued that Hand had shown ‘selective amnesia and memory loss’ in recounting separate events.
He pointed to CCTV footage that he said showed Hand ‘happy, happy, happy’ after the incident.
And he said footage showed Hand doing a ‘victory dance’ after sending a text to her boyfriend where she did not say she was at the hotel.
‘Then bang, as soon as she knows she has to go home and face the music – that’s when the allegations start,’ he added.
He acknowledged the jury might even ‘loathe’ McGregor, but urged them to put aside any ‘negative views’ and consider only the evidence ahead of the verdict.
The court also heard from witnesses including a paramedic who examined Hand and said she had not seen ‘someone so bruised’ in a long time.
Advanced paramedic Eithne Scully said that Nikita Hand was ‘very upset and distressed’ and was ‘curled up’ when she spoke to her the day after.
The court heard that Scully and another paramedic took Hand to the Rotunda hospital sexual assault unit.
She said that Hand’s main concern was that a tampon had been ‘pushed up way too far’, and she had pains.
She added that she could see a small cut on her chin and there appeared to be some bruising on her lower neck.
During an examination, she saw bruising around her chest, breast, down her legs, as well as around her buttocks and thighs.
The court also heard from Hand’s GP, Dr Frank Clarke, who said that she had been diagnosed with PTSD.
He said he had been treating Hand since she was a child, and that she had a history of anxiety and struggled with her confidence – and had previously been prescribed a low dose of medication to help her.
He said that following her diagnosis of PTSD, she had been prescribed stronger medication, which he said helped her deal with the peaks of her emotional pain.
After reviewing two weeks worth of evidence probing the events of December 9, 2018, the jury found that McGregor did assault Hand.
Outside the court, Hand described the two week trial as a ‘nightmare’ but said she felt vindicated.
She 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.’
McGregor stayed silent as he left the court with his partner.
Breaking his silence 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.’
