Nikita Hand gave an emotional statement after a jury in civil court found that UFC star Conor McGregor sexually assaulted her in 2018.
A jury of eight women and four men deliberated for six hours and ten minutes at Ireland’s High Court and found that the 36-year-old MMA superstar assaulted Hand at a hotel in Dublin. McGregor had been accused of “brutally raping and battering” Hand, and he has now been ordered to pay her $262.9k in damages.
McGregor denied the allegations and said that he had “fully consensual sex” with Hand. As the case was civil and not criminal, McGregor does not face a prison sentence. The co-defendant in the civil case, McGregor’s friend James Lawrence, was found not to have assaulted Ms. Hand.
“I’m overwhelmed and touched by the support I have received from everybody,” a teary Hand said. “First I want to thank the legal team and my three barristers John Gordon, Ray Boland, and Sean. They have been amazing from start to finish.
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“I want to thank Mr Justice Alexander Owens, the jury, all the witnesses. I want to thank the doctors, nurses, and everyone at the Sexual Assault Treatment Unit and the Rotunda Hospital for looking after me, especially my own Dr Frank Clark.
“I want to thank the Rape Crisis Centre, especially Cleena who has been by my side throughout this entire period. I want to thank all the guards and the ambulance crew.
“I want to thank all the women and men out there who have supported me throughout this trial. For every person who reached out to me, a card, a letter, email, everything, it hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“Thank you, I really appreciate it so much. I want to thank my partner Gary who has been so supportive for the last four years and has held my hand throughout this trial every day and every other day. I want to thank my mum and all my family and friends.
“Lastly, I want to thank my daughter Freya who I’m most grateful for. She has given me so much strength and courage over the last six years throughout this nightmare to keep on pushing forward for justice.
“I want to show Freya and every other girl and boy that you can stand up for yourself if something happens to you, no matter who the person is and justice will be served.
“To all the victims of sexual assault, I hope my story is a reminder that no matter how afraid you might be, speak up, you have a voice, and keep on fighting for justice.
“I know this has impacted not only my life, my daughters, my family, and friends tremendously and it’s something that I’ll never forget for the rest of my life. But now that justice has been served, I can now try and move on and look forward to the future with my family and friends and daughter.”
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