Conor McGregor appeals civil rape verdict as crowds take to the streets in support of the woman involved

CNN
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MMA fighter Conor McGregorwho lost a civil rape case on Friday has said he will instruct his legal team to appeal the verdict as large crowds in Dublin showed support for the woman involved in the case.

McGregor was accused of raping Nikita Hand in a Dublin hotel room in 2018. On Friday, a civil court jury awarded Hand nearly 250,000 euros (about $263,600) after finding McGregor liable for assault, the Courts Service in Ireland said .

On Monday he addressed the incident and the verdict and continued writing Xformerly known as Twitter: “I have instructed my legal team to appeal the decision.”

According to the Associated pressHand said during the trial that the attack, after a night of partying, left her bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Speaking to the media after Friday’s ruling, she described the trial as a “nightmare” and the abuse as something “I will never forget for the rest of my life.”

“I want to show (my daughter) Freya and all the other girls and boys that if something happens to you, you can stand up for yourself, no matter who the person is, and that justice will be done,” she added.

“To all victims of sexual assault, I hope my story is a reminder that no matter how scared you are, speak up, you have a voice and keep fighting for justice.”

During the trial, McGregor claimed he never forced Hand to do anything against her will and said she made up the allegations after the two had consensual sex, according to the AP.

“As much as I regret it, everything that happened that night was consensual and all witnesses present swore to that under oath,” McGregor wrote on X Monday.

When reached by CNN, the Courts Service in Ireland confirmed the decision but said no written judgment was available for a civil case.

Large crowds gathered in Dublin on Monday to show solidarity with Hand and criticize the Irish Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) decision not to pursue a criminal case against McGregor.

According to AP, police investigated Hand’s complaint, but prosecutors declined to file charges, saying there was insufficient evidence and a conviction was unlikely.

I’m posting pictures of the protest, Fingal councilor Ruth Koper wrote on X: “Big questions about DPP dismissing cases of #genderviolence. Nikita Hand was drunk and unable to give consent, she had massive injuries. Why can’t our justice system respond to survivors?”

A spokeswoman for the DPP told CNN that in Ireland, the reasons for not pursuing a criminal case are generally not made available to the media or the general public.