Conor McGregor pinned down and violently raped a young woman in a Dublin hotel after taking cocaine, the city’s High Court has been told.
Mother-of-one Nikita Ní Laimhín (35) was left with extensive bruises and abrasions, including “black and blue” wrists, a bloodied scratch to her breast, and neck pain after being placed in “a stranglehold” by the mixed martial arts star.
The hair colourist claims she tried to fight off McGregor (36), but submitted to him after he three times put her in an armlock until she could not breathe.
She claims he pinned her down on a bed after she had earlier refused to perform a sex act on him.
During the assault he is alleged to have told her: “Now you know what it was like in the Octagon when I had to tap myself out three times.”
The rape is alleged to have occurred after McGregor picked her up from her Christmas party and brought her to a penthouse suite in the Beacon Hotel in Dublin.
The court heard she later presented at the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit of the Rotunda Hospital, “an absolute wreck, constantly weeping, and in pain”.
A tampon embedded in her vagina had to be removed with a forceps, a jury was told.
Details of the alleged rape were outlined on the opening day of Ms Ní Laimhín’s civil action against McGregor and his associate, James Lawrence of Rafter’s Road in Drimnagh.
Read more
She claims to have been raped by both men at the hotel on December 9, 2018. She was 29 at the time.
The two defendants deny her claims and say they each twice had consensual sex with Ms Ní Laimhín.
They say the claims made in her lawsuit were “false, malicious and patently made in bad faith” and that a claim for damages so she can relocate to a new home amounted to extortion.
Ms Ní Laimhín’s counsel John Gordon SC said McGregor had claimed he and Ms Ní Laimhín were “just having fun and a bout of rough sex”.
He said the defendants would try to portray her as “a gold-digger” and “a fraud”.
But the barrister said this would be contradicted by medical evidence. He said the rapes had left her suffering from depression, stress and panic attacks, frightened of the area she was living in and frightened of McGregor.
A jury of four men and eight women was sworn in this morning to hear the case, which is expected to last two weeks.
Prior to the opening of the case, Mr Justice Alexander Owens told jurors: “Essentially the allegation in the statement of claim is Mr McGregor sexually assaulted Ms Ní Laimhín and in effect raped her on December 9, 2018 and Mr Lawrence did likewise.”
Mr Justice Owens said the case was not a criminal trial but rather a civil action for damages.
He told jurors they would be “judges of fact”.
“The law acts on your decision on the facts one way or another,” he said.
McGregor and Lawrence sat at the back of the court either side of McGregor’s father Tony as the jury was selected and the case opened.
After the jury was selected, Mr Justice Owens said their first task would be to appoint a foreman or forewoman. Any questions the jury might have would be conveyed to the judge through the foreman or forewoman, he said.
Mr Justice Owens said the jury would have to “decide what happened” by reference to the evidence they will hear.
He warned them that this was confined to what they would hear from the witness box and may potentially involve documents introduced into evidence.
“Anything you hear or see about this trial that is not received by you in court is not evidence,” he said.
The judge said that when jurors return home each evening, they should not discuss the evidence with their loved ones or seek opinions.
“You don’t do that. You should also discourage other people from offering their opinions,” he said.
Mr Justice Owens said jurors were “not in the business of acting as a private detective” and he warned them not to seek out information on the internet or on social media.
He said jurors should accept “there is a lot of nonsense on the internet” and should “not bother during this trial with looking up opinion pieces” or posts on Twitter or other social media sites.
“Stay away from that because there are enormous temptations to get into that,” he said.
The judge said his directions were “most important”.
“A failure by a juror to abide by the directions of the judge is a contempt of court,” he said.
The plaintiff is being represented in the action by barristers John Gordon SC, Ray Boland SC and Siún Leonowicz BL, instructed by solicitors Coleman Legal.
McGregor is represented by barristers Remy Farrell SC and Shelley Horan BL, instructed by Michael J Staines & Company Solicitors.
Lawrence is represented by the same solicitors. His senior counsel is John Fitzgerald SC.
Helplines: If you have been affected by the contents of this article, click here for more information.