Conor McGregor claims woman who alleges he raped her is ‘full of lies’
Conor McGregor leaving the High Court for the case against him. Picture: Leah Farrell/© RollingNews.ie
MMA fighter Conor McGregor has told the High Court a woman who has accused him of raping her in a Dublin hotel room is “full of lies”.
Taking the stand on the sixth day of the civil case against him taken by Nikita Hand, Mr McGregor said he had consensual sex with Ms Hand in the Beacon Hotel on December 9, 2018.
It is Ms Hand’s claim that he “brutally raped and battered” her on that occasion, but Mr McGregor denies this.
He was asked about evidence Ms Hand gave in which she claimed he put her in a head lock and said "now you know how I felt in the octagon".
"Your client is full of lies. Everything is a lie," he told John Gordon SC, for Ms Hand. "How anyone could believe that, how I would highlight my shortcomings.
"It is a full-blown lie among many lies."
He later went on to describe the claim as a "fantasy".
McGregor told the High Court that he had consensual sex with Ms Hand, saying "she never said no or stopped".
"I was not forcing anyone to do anything against their will," he added.
He said they had “athletic”, “vigorous” and “prolonged” sex and denied causing injuries to Ms Hand after being show photos of her bruising.
“I’ll tell you where she didn’t get them from, from me,” he said. “The sex was not rough. It was physical.” He suggested the bruises could have come from a “swan dive” Ms Hand had done into a bath in the penthouse suite. He also said that she’d been out partying from the night before.
He said she was “enthusiastic” and wanted to “keep the party going” when they were parting ways.
Asked about a tampon that was later removed by a doctor from Ms Hand with forceps, Mr McGregor said there was no tampon present when they had sex.
“There was nothing from what I could see,” he said. “Or feel. There was no tampon.” Mr McGregor also said that it was a “very frightening experience” when he was questioned by gardaí and that his “life was on the line”.
He also told the court that when he found out he was the “sport star” named in the press as being accused of rape, he was “completely shocked and frightened beyond belief”.
“It’s the scariest thing I’d ever gone through in my life,” he said.
Earlier, a work colleague of Ms Hand’s who went to the hotel with her told the court that she “didn’t notice anything had happened” and was “surprised” when Ms Hand told her what had allegedly occurred.
Danielle Kealey, who worked in a different hair salon branch, said Ms Hand messaged her a few days later on Instagram to say Mr McGregor had raped her.
Ms Kealey said she “didn’t see or hear anything”, and that McGregor and Ms Hand were in another room in the penthouse suite of the Beacon Hotel for a period on the day.
Separately, forensic scientist Dr Charlotte Murphy told the court that analysis from swabs taken from Ms Hand’s body and clothing after the alleged assault showed traces of semen with DNA profiles matching that of McGregor.
She said it was “a thousand million times more likely” these DNA originated from McGregor than from an unknown, unrelated person.
The cross-examination of Mr McGregor continues Thursday.
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