Masked gang broke into home of Conor McGregor accuser, Dublin court was told | Ireland

A gang of masked males broke into the house of a girl who had taken a civil case towards the combined martial arts fighter Conor McGregor that accused him of raping her, it will probably now be revealed.

The incident was referred to in the beginning of the courtroom case in Dublin however couldn’t be reported till now because it emerged throughout authorized dialogue whereas the jury weren’t current.

On Friday, a jury within the excessive courtroom of Eire discovered that McGregor had in December 2018 assaulted Nikita Hand, who had accused him of raping her, and awarded damages of almost €250,000 (£208,000) in her favour.

The courtroom heard that unknown masked males had damaged into her dwelling, smashed the home windows and stabbed her boyfriend on 14 June.

Hand’s counsel, John Gordon, instructed Choose Owens that he was not suggesting the fighter was behind the assault however that it went some approach to clarify her anxiousness and why she relocated from her dwelling.

“The plaintiff’s dwelling was invaded by a bunch of males carrying balaclavas,” he mentioned.

“The broke into the plaintiff’s bed room, and have been pushed out by the plaintiff’s accomplice, who suffered a stab wound within the course of. Her daughter was within the subsequent room, sleeping.”

Gordon additionally instructed the courtroom that the lads broke home windows within the entrance room earlier than leaving.

“We aren’t laying that on the ft of the defendants or saying they’ve something to do with that,” he added.

“We do make the declare that it was not an untargeted assault, [it] rose from supporters of the primary named defendant [McGregor].

“It’s associated to the declare that she needed to transfer out of the Drimnagh space.”

The decide requested whether or not the declare was being made that McGregor had something to do with it, to which Gordon replied: “No, decide, it’s an merchandise of particular injury.

“It associated to her state of hysteria and her declare that she needed to transfer from the Drimnagh space, as she has now executed.”

McGregor’s barrister, Remy Farrell, mentioned it appeared Hand was introducing a declare “which is nothing to do with us”, and complained it might be “an invite to the jury to take a position”.

The decide dominated that he thought of it to be “fully irrelevant and shouldn’t be referred to”.

A Garda spokesperson confirmed it had acquired a report of an incident of aggravated housebreaking and that investigations have been ongoing. They added {that a} man had acquired hospital therapy for “non life-threatening accidents”.

On Friday, McGregor, who denied Hand’s claims as lies and fabrication designed to cowl up dishonest on her boyfriend, mentioned he was interesting towards the excessive courtroom resolution, noting that the damages award was “modest”.

He mentioned: “The decide’s instruction and the modest award given was for assault, not for aggravated or exemplary damages. I’m disenchanted that the jury didn’t hear all of the proof that the DPP [Ireland’s director of public prosecutions] reviewed. I’m with my household now, centered on my future. Thanks to all my assist worldwide,” he mentioned on X.

The DPP determined to not pursue the case in 2020 on the grounds that there was not an affordable prospect of securing a conviction.

McGregor had confronted an accusation that he “brutally raped and battered” Hand at a lodge in south Dublin in December 2018.

The Irish sports activities star beforehand instructed the courtroom he had consensual intercourse with Hand in a penthouse on the Beacon lodge.

The Dublin Rape Disaster Centre mentioned the case was an vital second in establishing what “consent” meant after the decide made it clear in his closing feedback to the jury that “submission” was not consent, nor was dangerous behaviour. Ingesting or taking medication “doesn’t imply they’re up for intercourse”, Owens mentioned.

Eire’s justice minister, Helen McEntee, recommended Hand for her “bravery and dedication”.

She added: “Due to fantastic individuals like Nikita, I hope that it exhibits that there’s gentle on the finish of the tunnel, that there are helps out there to individuals, and that there’s justice on the finish of the day.”