ASSAULT CASE
Conor McGregor rape accuser says ‘I know what happened in that room’ as she wraps up tearful evidence after 4 days
The two men have denied the claims
A WOMAN who alleges Conor McGregor "brutally raped" her in a Dublin hotel penthouse finished giving evidence at the High Court, telling the civil damages jury: "I know what happened in that room."
Nikita Hand, who is also known as Nikita Ni Laimhin, is claiming civil damages against Mr and another man, alleging she was sexually assaulted in December 2018.
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Both Mr McGregor and Mr Lawrence deny the allegations.
On the fourth day in the witness box she today told lawyers for co-defendant James Lawrence, of Rafter's Road, Drimnagh, Dublin 12, that she had no memory of being in a lift with their client.
They contend that the CCTV footage shows she "doesn't look like someone who has been violently raped" as she was "affectionate" and "biting his ear and kissing him".
At the High Court today Ms Hand, a hair colourist, was shown CCTV footage from the Beacon Hotel from December 9, 2018, but said she had no memory of large amounts of her time there.
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Ms Hand is shown to be in a lift with Mr Lawrence at 6.51pm on the evening of the alleged rape by Mr McGregor, which she claims happened earlier in the afternoon.
The court has heard that Mr McGregor and a female friend of Ms Hand left the hotel shortly after 6pm.
When Ms Hand went to alleging that she had been raped by Mr McGregor, Mr Lawrence had to give a witness statement in which he claimed that he twice had consensual sex with Ms Hand after Mr McGregor left the Beacon at around 6.20pm.
John Fitzgerald SC, for Mr Lawrence, put it to Ms Hand, who is seen in the lift carrying a drink, that she "doesn't look like someone who has been violently raped" as, he said, she was being "affectionate" towards Mr Lawrence in "biting his ear and kissing him".
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Ms Hand told Mr Fitzgerald that she has no memory of being in the lift with Mr Lawrence on that occasion.
Mr Fitzgerald put it to Mr Hand that she, Mr Lawrence and a driver left the hotel at around 7pm and returned at 7.30pm via the car park but Ms Hand again said she had no memory of leaving or coming back to the hotel.
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Counsel said that at 10.17pm, Ms Hand and Mr Lawrence are seen hugging and leaving the hotel for the final time arm in arm, to which Ms Hand again said she had no memory of doing so.
Mr Fitzgerald said: "You don't look like someone distressed by being violently raped earlier."
Ms Hand replied: "I am drunk and stumbling off walls. I don't agree with you."
Mr Fitzgerald said Ms Hand had told gardaí that she was ";not at all" attracted to Mr Lawrence but said Ms Hand was acting in a "playful" manner on CCTV towards Mr Lawrence on the night which "looks like the opposite".
"I am going to just tell you I can't remember," said Ms Hand.
'I WAS COMPLETELY DRUNK'
The plaintiff said she saw herself on CCTV but had "no memory" of the images because her "mind was gone, I was completely drunk, my mind went".
Mr Fitzgerald put it to Ms Hand that when Mr Lawrence and she left the hotel for 20 minutes before returning, they had been "kissing and decided to go back to the room to continue the intimacy". Ms Hand denied this.
Counsel further put it to Ms Hand that she and Mr Lawrence's kissing "developed to the point where you had consensual sex and used a condom and another for sex again", which Ms Hand denied.
"I think that is a made-up story," said Ms Hand.
Mr Fitzgerald put it to Ms Hand that she was trying to "edit James Lawrence out of this [case]"; by saying she had no memory because it was "not a good look" for Ms Hand to have consensual sex with a friend of Mr McGregor after accusing Mr McGregor of raping her.
'I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED'
"I know what happened in that room," said Ms Hand.
Ms Hand said gardai had taken the clothes and underwear she was wearing and that they had been damaged by Mr McGregor pulling at them when she says he raped her.
Regarding Mr Lawrence's claim that he had consensual sex with the plaintiff, Ms Hand said she was not attracted to Mr Lawrence who, she said, had seen her crying and her bruises.
"I would not have consented," added Ms Hand.
The civil trial also heard today from Eimear Brennan, who was Ms Hand's manager at the hair salon where she worked.
CHRISTMAS PARTY
The court has heard that salon staff went for their Christmas party on December 8 before they returned to the salon, where they drank and played music until around 7am.
The witness said Ms Hand called on the night of December 9 to say she would be at Ms Brennan's home, telling her she was with Mr McGregor in a hotel and alleging that he raped her.
Ms Brennan said Ms Hand had texted her on the way to her home to say she was "black and blue and broken".
Once inside, Ms Hand took off her jacket and Ms Brennan said she could see bruising on Ms Hand's arm.
'GAVE UP FIGHTING'
Ms Brennan said the plaintiff told her that Mr McGregor choked her three times, letting her go each time to breathe, and that she gave up fighting and biting the defendant and "let him do what he wanted to her" because "all she could see was her daughter's face".
Ms Brennan said she saw bruising on Ms Hand's breast, thighs, knee, posterior, knuckles and a scrape on her jaw.
Ms Brennan took photos of some of the injuries but later deleted them as well as texts from Ms Hand at the plaintiff's request.
Detective Sergeant John Ryan said he made notes of two meetings with Ms Hand, once at her mother's house and again when the plaintiff was speaking to a doctor at the sexual assault treatment unit on the morning of Monday, December 10, 2018.
Jury fear as phone spotted in gallery
THE Conor McGregor trial jury notified the judge that they saw somebody from the public gallery pointing a mobile phone at them.
And they told Mr Justice Alexander Owens they are concerned that any photos or video would be “circulated”.
A note was handed by the jury foreman to Mr Justice Owens yesterday.
It informed him a man had been noticed in the balcony gallery above the courtroom pointing a phone at the jury on Thursday.
The message said the panel — made up of eight women and four men — 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 public gallery.
And the High Court judge declared he too would be “keeping an eye out” to ensure there’s no prospect of any sneaky snaps of filming happening again in court.
Recording and photography is prohibited in the court area, he reminded all those present, before sending an officer to the public gallery.
Mr Justice Owens declared: “It is a contempt of court to take photos of the jury — it is totally unacceptable — and there will be steps taken in the event that anyone is suspected of that.”
The judge also directed that anyone standing in the balcony gallery had to leave and that only those with seating could remain.
DS Ryan said Ms Hand was "extremely distressed" and said she was afraid her attacker would kill her.
DS Ryan said Ms Hand said she was "terrified" of the male against whom she was alleging rape but would not name the man.
The detective was present at the doctor's meeting where a tampon had to be removed from Ms Hand by forceps.
The garda noted Ms Hand said she drank beers, Bacardi and had taken cocaine during the period between the Christmas party and returning home.
'COMPLETELY DEVASTATED'
The Garda said that later that day, he asked Ms Hand to make a statement but Ms Hand said she was terrified and would not be pressing charges.
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Ms Hand did go to gardaí in January 2019 but the court has heard she was “completely devastated” when she was told the Director of Public Prosecutions had decided not prosecute Mr McGregor or Mr Lawrence because there was “no reasonable prospect” of convictions.
The trial continues before Mr Justice Alexander Owens and a jury of eight women and four men on Tuesday.
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