The woman who won a civil rape claim against Conor McGregor is taking legal action to prevent him from publishing CCTV footage evidence that was shown in court.
Nikita Hand was handed more than €248,000 (£206,000) after a jury in Dublin concluded that the 36-year-old MMA megastar ‘brutally raped’ and ‘battered’ the ex-hair colourist in a Dublin hotel penthouse in December 2018.
Nikita told the High Court that McGregor ‘pinned’ her down on the bed, choked her three times and left her thinking she was ‘going to die’.
‘I just let him do whatever he needed to do, so I could survive,’ she said of the attack during a drink and cocaine-fuelled Christmas ‘after-party’.
She is now pushing to have CCTV footage, showing her interacting with McGregor and his friend James Lawrence in the hotel’s lift and carpark before and after entering the penthouse, taken out of circulation.
Hand’s barrister Siún Leonowicz, instructed by Coleman Legal Services, said today that her client was seeking to prevent the footage from being published or disseminated using an injunction.
Hand’s solicitor David Coleman said in an affidavit local media had reported that Gabriel Ernesto Rapisarda, a business associate of McGregor’s, indicated there will be ‘imminent’ publication of the CCTV footage used during the trial of her claim.
Rapisarda runs the Gabriel and Spirits company, which is in charge of distributing McGregor’s stout in Italy.
Nikita Hand (pictured) was handed more than €248,000 (£206,000) after a jury in Dublin concluded that Conor McGregor ‘brutally raped’ and ‘battered’ her in a Dublin hotel penthouse in December 2018
Mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor and partner Dee Devlin seen arriving at the High Court in Dublin for the civil rape case against him on November 22, 2024
Coleman said Rapsardia wanted to publish the CCTV to help boost sales of McGregor’s drink.
Under cross-examination in the trial, Hand denied that the footage contradicted her claims, adding that it was a ‘very hard watch’ as she was drunk and stumbling around, a far cry from her ordinary character.
Coleman said that the publication of the footage is a ‘contempt of court’, and that its ‘only purpose’ would be to ‘undermine and discredit the verdict of the court and, in so doing, gain financially.’
The solicitor said he was keen to ensure a hearing on the injunction motion is moved to Thursday to allow the court to consider McGregor’s alleged ‘ongoing contempt.’
He added that Mr Justice Alexander Owens, the judge overseeing the case, is already due in court that day to deal with McGregor’s description of the court as a ‘kangaroo court’ on social media.
During the trial, Hand saw massive public support including a protest march which was held in Dublin city centre.
The demonstration was organised by the feminist group Rosa to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on November 25.
Participants chanted ‘stand with Nikita’ and ‘no more fear, no more shaming – we reject your victim blaming’ as they carried signs and banners through the capital’s streets.
Natasha O’Brien, a participant at the protest, told the Irish Daily Mail: ‘I’m here today to stand with Nikita in solidarity for the harrowing trial that she had to fight through with every piece of her.’
Last month, McGregor’s fiancee leapt to his defence with a furious rant on social media against Nikita.
Dee Devlin took to Instagram to deliver a blistering attack on Ms Hand – telling her ‘My sons will be warned women like you exist in the world’.
In the messages Ms Devlin painted Ms Hand as a party girl who had sent ‘provocative pictures of herself’ to McGregor.
McGregor lost a civil case brought by Nikita Hand, 35, (pictured) who won almost €250,000 in damages after she alleged that he raped her in a Dublin hotel on December 9, 2018
She then went on to launch into a furious rant aimed at Ms Hand in which she made a series of astonishing allegations before adding: ‘My sons will be warned women like you exist in the world.’
James Lawrence, co-defendant of mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor, had his legal fees paid by his friend. Ms Hand also accused McGregor’s friend James Lawrence, 35, of assaulting her on that day. The jury decided that Ms Hand was assaulted by McGregor, but not by his co-accused Lawrence.
Writing on Instagram, she said: ‘Imagine a WOMAN, with her own boyfriend and child, texting provocative pictures of herself to another woman’s man with a family and child on the way.
‘This woman claims to know me, yet still went ahead and sent messages and pictures of herself over and over to my man? Really?
‘Whilst out on a 3 day bender, texting excuses to her own child at home where mammy is on Saturday afternoon, Saturday night, Sunday morning, Sunday afternoon, Sunday night into Monday morning.
‘All the while out of her face in a hotel room dancing around a hotel carpark. What sort of WOMAN are you!!!
‘My sons will be warned women like you exist in the world.’
Ms Devlin, McGregor’s partner of 15 years, arrived hand-in-hand with McGregor to the hearings and comforted him when the verdict was delivered, also claimed that CCTV existed that would cast doubt on Ms Hand’s version of events.
She wrote: ‘CCTV DOES NOT LIE. I look forward to the day the world will see the footage of you on that night and the carry on of you. Not a bother on you having the time of your life.
‘This is the real evidence, video footage no one knew was being taken in the moment which you miraculously don’t remember?
‘To me it looks like you’re the one sexually assaulting in the lift. To me it looks like everyone is trying to get away from you.
‘Conor and I dealt with these issues privately many years ago, as should be done in a relationship and we have come out stronger than ever. We have four beautiful children now whose smiling faces and happy hearts are a testament to who he is and who we are!
‘They without sin cast the first stone.’
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
