Balaclava gang broke into Conor McGregor rape accuser’s home and stabbed boyfriend
A gang of balaclava-clad men smashed their way into the home of Conor McGregor’s rape accuser and stabbed her boyfriend while their daughter slept in the next room.
The terrifying raid was outlined at the beginning of the civil trial at Dublin’s High Court which ended with a jury awarding Nikita Hand more than £200,000 in damages.
She claimed the UFC star, nicknamed ‘Notorious’, ‘brutally’ raped her inside a hotel penthouse in the city nearly six years ago in December 2018.
Her lawyer John Gordon told Judge Alexander Owens of the June 14 break-in: ‘The plaintiff’s home was invaded by a group of men wearing balaclavas.
‘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.’
Mr Gordon also told the court the men smashed the front room windows before leaving.
‘We are not laying that at the feet of the defendants or saying they have anything to do with that,’ he added.
‘We do make the claim that it was not an untargeted attack, (it) rose 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.’
The judge asked whether the claim was being made that McGregor had anything to do with it, to which Mr Gordon replied: ‘No, judge, it is an item of special damage.
‘It related to her state of anxiety and her claim that she had to move from the Drimnagh area, as she has now done.’
McGregor’s barrister Remy Farrell said it seemed Ms Hand was introducing a claim ‘which is nothing to do with us’, and complained it would be ‘an invitation to the jury to speculate’.
The judge ruled that he considered it to be ‘completely irrelevant and shouldn’t be referred to’.
At the close of the case, it was agreed by Ms Hand’s counsel and the judge that the claim would not be made for the house move.
A Garda spokesperson said: ‘Gardaí received report of an incident of aggravated burglary that occurred at a premises on the Errigal Road in Drimnagh, Dublin 12 at approximately 2.20am on Friday, June 14, 2024.
‘One man aged in his 30s was conveyed to St James’s Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries sustained as a result of this incident.
‘Investigations are ongoing.’
Ms Hand launched a civil case after the director of public prosecutions (DPP) in Ireland decided not to charge him criminally.
The total amount of damages awarded to Ms Hand by the jury was 248,603.60 euros.
McGregor, who was accompanied by his family, including his partner Dee Devlin, parents, sister and brother-in-law, shook his head as the verdict was announced.
On X after the verdict, McGregor said: ‘I will be appealing today’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.’
Speaking afterwards, Ms Hand described having to go through the court process as a ‘nightmare’.
Calls to Rape Crisis Centre rose during McGregor case
Calls to the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre surged during the McGregor case, RTE reports.
Chief executive Rachel Morrogh told the Irish broadcaster calls went up by 17% in the first 10 days of the trial, with contact by first-time callers increasing by 50% in the same period.
She said media coverage of the case was having ‘a really profound effect on the people who use the centre’s services’.
‘This case is being directly referenced by many of those callers who are distressed at the contents that they’re reading in the traditional media, but also that they’re accessing information that has been pushed through social media,’ she said.
‘So it’s a really distressing time.’
She thanked her legal team, the judge and jury, gardai and paramedics, as well as doctors and nurses who provided her treatment and the Rape Crisis Centre.
Ms Hand said she hoped her case will remind victims of assault to keep ‘pushing forward for justice’.
Visibly shaking, 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.’
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