A consultant psychiatrist has told the High Court they diagnosed Nikita Hand with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the aftermath of her alleged rape by mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor.
Dr Ann Leader told the High Court that symptoms experienced by Ms Hand were (35) classic of someone who was traumatised.
She also described the mother of one as “a good communicator, a clear historian and a sincere person”.
Dr Leader was giving evidence on the fifth day of Ms Hand’s civil action for damages against McGregor (36) and his associate James Lawrence.
Ms Hand, a hair colourist from Drimnagh in Dublin, is suing for damages, alleging both men raped her in the penthouse of the Beacon Hotel in Sandyford, Dublin on December 9, 2018 while she was drunk and after taking cocaine.
Nikita Hand leaves court last week after the first few days of her civil case against Conor McGregor. Photo: Collins
Both men deny her claims and allege they had consensual sex with her.
They also maintain that a claim for damages so she can relocate from Drimnagh amounts to extortion.
Read more
Dr Leader prepared two reports in relation Ms Hand, one in December 2020 and another in April of this year.
“She was anxious, she was tearful and in my opinion she came across as someone who was traumatised,” said Dr Leader, who told the court she had been a psychiatrist for the past 46 years and had seen over 5,000 cases involving people who have had alleged sexual abuse.
Under examination from Ms Hand’s counsel John Gordon SC, she outlined the criteria that needed to be satisfied to make a diagnosis of PTSD.
She said there must have been a traumatic event and a resultant limit on the person’s level of function.
PTSD, she said, involved avoidance, the re-experiencing of the traumatic event and anxiety.
In relation to avoidance, she said Ms Hand tried to block memories and emotions, withdrew from life, felt unable to be fully present for her mother, child and partner.
She said re-experiencing trauma involved nightmares, intrusive, persistent and distressing thoughts about what happened.
In relation to anxiety, Dr Leader said Ms Hand’s panic attacks were frequent.
She said Ms Hand had experienced a fast heartbeat, shortness of breath, dizziness, and a feeling she would die.
The psychiatrist said Ms Hand had outlined how her circle of friends had diminished, how she cannot trust others and distrusts men.
“She had a feeling of being permanently altered,” Dr Leader said.
“She was significantly distressed and entertained suicidal thoughts.”
Nikita Hand outside the High Court last Friday. Photo: Collins
The psychiatrist went on to say how Ms Hand “felt dirty and ashamed” and “lost interest in herself and became self destructive”.
Ms Hand initially only complained about being raped by McGregor and was later told by gardaí that Lawrence had claimed to have had sex with her in the hotel, something she had no memory of.
Outlining Ms Hand’s counselling notes, Dr Leader said: “She was flabbergasted at this as she had no memory.
“She described feeling like a lump of meat.”
Another witness, Dr Frank Clarke of Walkinstown Medical Centre, told the court he had seen Ms Hand as a patient since she was a child.
The general practitioner said he certified her unfit to work in May 2019.
Dr Clarke said she had been suffering PTSD. Memory loss or partial memory are an important feature of the condition.
The court had earlier heard from two Dublin Fire Brigade paramedics who tended to Ms Hand and brought her to the Rotunda Hospital the morning after the alleged rape.
One of them,, Neil Dempsey, told the court Ms Hand was “crying”, “quite distressed” and “afraid” when he and a colleague responded to a call to go to her mother’s house in Drimnagh.
“She said she was sexually assaulted,” he said.
“Her chief concern was that she had a tampon up inside her. That it was there for an amount of time. She was concerned about it.”
The trial has previously heard the tampon had to be removed with a forceps at the hospital’s sexual assault treatment unit.
Mr Dempsey said Ms Hand became “more distressed” and had a panic attack as she was brought in an ambulance to the hospital.
Footage played to the court from inside the ambulance showed Mr Dempsey sitting her up in the ambulance after she had a panic attack.
It also showed extensive bruising on her legs while she was being examined by his colleague Eithne Scully.
Ms Scully told the court there was a cut on Ms Hand’s chin and also bruising around her neck and on her buttocks.
“She was very bruised. I haven’t actually seen somebody so bruised in a long time,” she said.
Ms Scully said Ms Hand told her she had been grabbed around the neck.
“She said about fighting somebody off. That there was a threat made to her,” Ms Scully said.
They responded to a call to go to Ms Hand’s mother’s house in Drimnagh, Dublin on December 10, 2018, the day after the alleged rape.
Ms Hand was brought to the Beacon Hotel on December 9, the morning after a Christmas party where she consumed beer, spirts and cocaine.
Also present in the penthouse were Lawrence and her work colleague Danielle Kealey.
Ms Hand filed a criminal complaint but the Director of Public Prosecutions directed there be no criminal prosecution.
She initially only made a 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.
The mother of one maintains she only remembers being raped by McGregor and has no recollection of any sort of sexual relations with Lawrence.
The case continues before a jury of four men and eight women.