The woman who claims she was raped by Conor McGregor has described as “lies” and “another made up story” a version of events put forward by the mixed martial arts star’s associate James Lawrence.
In a civil action for damages, Nikita Hand (35) claims she was raped by both of McGregor (36) and Lawrence in a penthouse at the Beacon Hotel in Sandyford, Dublin on December 9, 2018. McGregor claims they had consensual sex.
Ms Hand, a hair colourist from Drimnagh in Dublin, initially only filed a garda complaint against McGregor, but this changed after Lawrence came forward and claimed he too had sex with her in the penthouse on the same day. Ultimately the DPP decided not to prosecute.
The mother of one maintains she only remembers being raped by McGregor and has no recollection of any sort of sexual relations with Lawrence.
“I think he is lying,” she told a jury of four men and eight women in the High Court today.
During cross examination on the fourth day of her action against both men, Lawrence’s barrister John Fitzgerald SC put forward his client’s version of what happened.
He put it to Ms Hand that she, her friend Danielle Kealy, McGregor and Lawrence were in the penthouse sitting room together.
The barrister said she and McGregor were being “very affectionate”, that she was “happy and laughing” and at some point she and McGregor went into the adjoining bedroom to have sex.
He said the door was open and they could clearly be heard having sex.
“There were noises, moaning, noises that indicated you were having a good time,” said Mr Fitzgerald
Ms Hand said she didn’t agree that this was true.
The barrister put it to her that while she and McGregor were having “pleasurable sex” in the bedroom, Lawrence and Ms Kealy started having sex in the adjoining room.
“I don’t know,” Ms Hand responded.
He put it to her that she “did know” as she had come in and out of the bedroom to them while they were having sex.
“I just think this is another made up story,” she replied.
Mr Fitzgerald said this went on “for some considerable time” as Lawrence and Ms Kealy had sex three times.
He put it to Ms Hand that at one point Lawrence went into the bathroom and could see her on top of McGregor having sex.
“Lies,” Ms Hand said in response.
She also denied calling Lawrence a “dirty bastard” after walking in on him and Ms Kealy at one point.
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Mr Fitzgerald asked her about CCTV footage of her with Lawrence in the hotel elevator after the alleged rape, in which she appeared to behave affectionately towards him.
Ms Hand said she was “hitting off walls”, “stumbling” and “very drunk” in the footage and that she did not have any memory of it.
Mr Fitzgerald said one CCTV clip from the hotel lift showed her attempting to kiss Lawrence.
He said that in her garda statement, she had said she was not attracted to Lawrence.
The barrister said the footage appeared to show that she had been.
“I can’t look any more of these. It is too upsetting for me. I don’t have any memory of it whatsoever,” Ms Hand said.
“I am going to proposition to you that you said to Mr Lawrence that you liked him. That you had liked him for a long time,” said Mr Fitzgerald.
“I don’t agree,” she replied.
Mr Fitzgerald continued: “You started kissing him at some point and you decided to go back to the room to continue the intimacy shown on camera.”
Ms Hand replied: “No.”
The barrister suggested that they went up to the room and had sex, using a condom.
“I have no memory of that whatsoever. I think it is just a made up story,” replied Ms Hand.
Mr Fitzgerald put it to Ms Hand that she had attempted to “edit” Lawrence out of her story, that it was “not a good look” for her to have had consensual sex two times with another man who was a friend of McGregor after she claimed to have been raped by McGregor.
Ms Hand said she did not accept this.
“I know what happened in that room,” she said.
At the outset of today’s hearing the jury expressed concerns that they may have been photographed or filmed from the public gallery yesterday.
A note handed by the jury foreman to Mr Justice Alexander Owens this morning said a man had been noticed in the balcony gallery above the courtroom pointing a phone at the jury.
The note said the jury was concerned about the possibility that photos or videos of them could be circulated.
Mr Justice Owens directed that a garda be placed in the gallery and said he too would be “keeping an eye out” to ensure there was no prospect of it happening again.
“Clearly if that happened, it is completely inappropriate,” the judge said.
“It is a contempt of court to take photos of the jury and there will be steps taken to deal with that matter in the event anyone is suspected of it.”.
Mr Justice Owens also directed that anyone standing in the balcony gallery had to leave and that only those with seating could remain.
Ms Hand was being cross examined for a second day today.
Prior to being questioned by Mr Fitzgerald she was cross examined by McGregor’s counsel Remy Farrell SC.
Much of Mr Farrell’s cross examination of Ms Hand focused on alleged inconsistencies in her account.
Ms Hand has given evidence that she was “brutally raped and battered” by McGregor.
She and Ms Kealy were brought to the hotel by McGregor that morning from the salon where they worked in Goatstown.
They had been out all night at an alcohol and cocaine-fueled Christmas party and wanted to continue partying that morning. Ms Hand has said she had been drinking beer and Bacardi and had also been taking cocaine.
She was in contact with McGregor, who she knew, via Instagram, during her party.
According to her account, McGregor had a bag of cocaine in the car on the way to the hotel and she and Ms Kealy had some of it.
The group arrived at the hotel around 12.30pm. The rape is alleged to have happened some time in hours that followed.
She alleges McGregor pinned her down on a bed in the penthouse, choked her three times and violently raped her after she refused to perform oral sex on him. She says she struggled and bit McGregor but was overpowered and had to submit.
Both McGregor and Lawrence claim they each twice had consensual sex with her that day and that her claim for damages to relocate from Drimnagh amounted to extortion.
Ms Hand has told the court she does not remember much of events that occurred in the hours immediately after the alleged rape due to the amount of alcohol and drugs in her system.
Wrapping up his cross examination, Mr Farrell said: “It is quite clear you remember some things and not others.”
He said he wished to go through these “for the jury’s benefit”.
Mr Farrell said Ms Hand remembered arriving at the Beacon Hotel, but didn’t remember being affectionate toward McGregor in a lift up to the penthouse.
He said she remembered being raped but seemed to not remember the rape for a time after it happened.
The barrister said that, critically, she did not remember the rape after waking up, and when her friend Danielle was leaving the hotel with McGregor shortly after 6pm.
Mr Farrell said she remembered sending an “untruthful” text to her then partner Stephen Redmond around 6.30pm in which she said she was having fun and drinking in the Goat Bar & Grill in Goatstown.
He said that her memory was that she sent this text in the penthouse bedroom after she woke up beside McGregor following the alleged rape.
Mr Farrell said she did not remember she was “somewhere else entirely”, the hotel’s underground carpark, when she sent the text.
He said she remembered going down to say goodbye to McGregor and Ms Kealy in the carpark, but did not remember hugging McGregor or kissing his arm in the lift down to the carpark.
Mr Farrell said she did not remember the difficulty she and Lawrence had “going up and down in the lift” trying to regain access to the penthouse.
Ms Hand agreed with most of what Mr Farrell said about the extent of her memory.
She said it was only when she and Lawrence got back to the penthouse that “some things were coming back to me”.
Medical evidence heard by the court earlier this week revealed she presented at the Sexual Assault Unit of the Rotunda Hospital the following day with extensive bruising on her body. A tampon wedged inside her vagina had to be removed with a forceps.
Yesterday, Ms Hand rejected McGregor’s version of events when it was put to her by Mr Farrell.
The UFC fighter claims Ms Hand followed him into the bedroom of the penthouse and was a willing participant in consensual sex.
Ms Hand said McGregor’s version of events was “like a made up story” that “didn’t happen”.
“He did not have sex with me, he raped me,” she said.