![](\"https:\/\/static.files.bbci.co.uk\/bbcdotcom\/web\/20250728-162205-9b8a2dcb37-web-2.26.0-8\/grey-placeholder.png\")
![\"PA](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/21edac10-b240-11ef-9ad1-79fdb6cfcc1e.jpg.webp.webp\")
PA Media<\/p>\nChris Page and Abigail Taylor<\/p>\n
BBC News NI<\/p>\n
PA Media<\/p>\n
McGregor, pictured at an earlier court appearance, denied all of the allegations <\/p>\n
Conor McGregor has lost his civil jury appeal against a finding that he sexually assaulted a woman.<\/p>\n
In November, McGregor was ordered to pay \u00a3206,000 in damages plus costs to Nikita Hand, who accused him of raping her in a hotel in Dublin in 2018.<\/p>\n
McGregor appealed on the grounds that his lawyers believed his answers to police during interviews should not have been put before the jury.<\/p>\n
His barrister also argued that a question on the “issue paper” given to the jury to help them decide their verdict should have been worded differently.<\/p>\n
Three senior judges at the Court of Appeal in Dublin dismissed the appeal on all grounds.<\/p>\n
Conor McGregor was not in court for the ruling.<\/p>\n
Nikita Hand attended the hearing with several supporters.<\/p>\n
In relation to the police interviews, the court found McGregor’s lawyers had not proved there was “a real risk of unfair trial”.<\/p>\n
During the original case, the jury heard that McGregor said “no comment” around 100 times when he was interviewed by police.<\/p>\n
The issue paper asked the jurors if Conor McGregor had assaulted Ms Hand.<\/p>\n
McGregor’s lawyers argued it should have specified “sexual assault” rather than “assault”.<\/p>\n
But the appeal judges said that it was “simply unreal” to suggest that any member of the jury could have become confused about meaning of the question.<\/p>\n
They gave a unanimous ruling that McGregor’s appeal should be dismissed “in its entirety”.<\/p>\n
McGregor’s friend, James Lawrence, also lost his appeal against the decision that he should pay costs, even though the jury found he did not assault Nikita Hand.<\/p>\n
Ms Hand had claimed in her action that Conor McGregor and James Lawrence both raped her.<\/p>\n
The men said they both had consensual sex with her.<\/p>\n
‘Retraumatised me over and over’<\/p>\n
Speaking outside court, Ms Hand said she was grateful for the support she has received throughout the civil action. <\/p>\n
“This appeal has retraumatised me over and over again, being forced to relive it, what happened has had a huge impact on me,” she said.<\/p>\n
Ms Hand added: “To every survivor out there, I know how hard it is, but please, don’t be silenced. <\/p>\n
“You deserve to be heard, you also deserve justice. Today, I can finally move on and try to heal.”<\/p>\n
![\"PA](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/af691cd0-6e17-11f0-a527-49a2f77f1dfe.jpg.webp.webp\")
PA Media<\/p>\n
Nikita Hand said she was “overwhelmed” by support after taking the case against McGregor<\/p>\n
What was the basis for McGregor’s appeal?<\/p>\n
The appeal was based around several issues arising from the civil trial at Dublin’s High Court last year.<\/p>\n
They included reference to the question “did Conor McGregor assault Nikita Hand?” being asked of the jury on the issue paper.<\/p>\n
Conor McGregor’s legal team said it should have specified sexual assault.<\/p>\n
However, a barrister for Ms Hand said “assault” covers a wide variety of assaults adding “what we were dealing with was assault by rape”.<\/p>\n
He added the question put to the jury “was agreed and the jury could not have been confused by it”.<\/p>\n
McGregor was also appealing an issue around the handling of his answers in interviews with garda\u00ed (Irish police officers).<\/p>\n
His legal team explained that the jury heard McGregor gave about 100 “no comment” answers to garda\u00ed.<\/p>\n
His barrister said he had a right to silence in police interviews and it was “left hanging”, allowing the jury to draw an adverse inference.<\/p>\n
Ms Hand’s legal team countered this argument by saying that if this was such a serious issue for McGregor at the time “surely an application to discharge the jury would have been made”.<\/p>\n
Her barrister said such an application was not made.<\/p>\n
McGregor’s legal appeal was also raising an issue about the judge’s charge to the jury during the civil trial.<\/p>\n
Withdrawal of evidence <\/p>\n