Nikita Hand was forced to move house after a break-in by a group of men in balaclavas, believed to be supporters of Conor McGregor, the High Court heard.
McGregor, 36, faced an accusation that he ‘brutally raped and battered’ Nikita Hand, 35, at a hotel in south Dublin in December 2018.
After deliberating for six hours and 10 minutes, the jury returned with their verdicts in the trial this afternoon, and awarded Ms Hand nearly 250,000 euros.
The story emerged at the outset of the trial, in the context of a claim she wanted to make, for the cost of moving away from Drimnagh in Dublin.
With no jury present, her counsel, John Gordon, told Judge Alexander Owens that the incident had happened on June 14 this year.
‘The plaintiff’s home was invaded by a group of men wearing balaclavas,’ he said.
‘They broke into the plaintiff’s bedroom, and were driven out by the plaintiff’s partner, who suffered a stab wound in the process. Her daughter was in the next room, sleeping.’
He said the men left, having broken windows in the front room.
Nikita Hand speaking to the media outside the court upon hearing the verdict in her civil case
McGregor, pictured with his partner Dee Devlin at the High Court in Dublin this evening, faced an accusation that he ‘brutally raped and battered’ Nikita Hand
‘We are not laying that at the feet of the defendants, or saying they have anything to do with that,’ he continued.
‘We do make the claim that it was not an untargeted attack, [it] arose from supporters of the first named defendant [Mr McGregor].
‘It is related to the claim that she had to move out of the Drimnagh area.’
Judge Owens asked: ‘You are not making the claim or going to tender evidence that Mr McGregor had anything to do with it?’
‘No, judge, it is an item of special damage,’ Mr Gordon replied.
‘It relates to her state of anxiety and her claim that she had to move from the Drimnagh area, as she now has done.’
The court heard she had sought relocation costs of €750,000.
Conor McGregor’s barrister, Remy Farrell, said it seemed Ms Hand was introducing a claim ‘which is nothing to do with us’.
Nikita Hand, also known as Nikita Ni Laimhin, won her claim against him for damages
Mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor and partner Dee Devlin leave the High Court
Mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor and partner Dee Devlin and mother Margaret outside the High Court in Dublin, November 22, 2024
Ms Hand leaves the High Court in Dublin after the verdicts were delivered on Friday
‘It is extraordinary that there would be an attempt to smuggle something like that into the case…to increase the special damages,’ he said.
He complained that it would be ‘an invitation to the jury to speculate’.
Judge Owens ruled: ‘I consider this to be completely and utterly irrelevant and shouldn’t be referred to.’
Evidence was heard during the case from a property expert, who said that houses of a similar three-bedroom size to Ms Hand’s Drimnagh house could cost €200,000 more in neighbouring areas in Dublin such as Cabinteely.
Her GP also mentioned her ‘anxiety’ about living in Drimnagh, and told the court she had recently moved further away from her childhood practice.
However, at the close of the case, it was agreed by her counsel and Judge Owens that a claim would not be made for the house move.
The house break-in was confirmed by the Garda press office at the time, but no link was made to McGregor.
A Garda spokeswoman said: ‘Gardaí received report of an incident of aggravated burglary that occurred at a premises in Drimnagh, Dublin 12 at approximately 2.20am this morning, Friday, June 14.
Ms Hand joined family and supporters and said she felt vindicated by the outcome
Ms Hand was awarded 248,603.60 euro after the jury decided McGregor was liable
‘One man in his 30s has been conveyed to St James’s Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries sustained as a result of this incident.’
McGregor shook his head as the jury of eight women and four men found him liable of assaulting Ms Hand.
The MMA fighter previously told the court he had consensual sex with Ms Hand, also known as Nikita Ni Laimhin, at the Beacon Hotel. He denied causing bruising to the plaintiff.
McGregor has since vowed to appeal the decision – saying he was ‘disappointed’ and ‘focused on my future’.
Ms Hand cried and was hugged by her partner and supporters as the verdict was delivered. Outside the court, she described the last two weeks as a ‘nightmare’ but said she felt vindicated.
She separately lost her lawsuit against McGregor’s friend, James Lawrence, who she also accused of assaulting her in the Dublin hotel.
While in the jury room today, the jury were given an issue paper to record their decisions. It asked two questions for them to provide a verdict on.
The first was: ‘Did Mr McGregor assault Ms Hand?’
The second was: ‘did Mr Lawrence assault Ms Hand?’.
They had to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’. An answer of ‘yes’ to either moved the jury to deciding what damages to award Ms Hand.
The total amount of damages awarded to Ms Hand by the jury was 248,603.60 euro (£206,621.91).
