McGregor asks Supreme Court to hear appeal over civil court’s rape verdict

Conor McGregor is asking Ireland’s Supreme Court to hear an appeal relating to a civil case in which a jury found in favour of Dublin woman Nikita Hand, who accused him of rape.

Earlier this year, the mixed martial arts fighter lost an appeal at a lower court over the matter.

Ms Hand, also known as Nikita Ni Laimhin, aged 35, successfully sued him in a civil court over an incident in which he was alleged to have “brutally raped and battered” her in a penthouse at a south Dublin hotel in December 2018.

The jury found McGregor – who told the court he had consensual sex with Ms Hand – civilly liable for assault.

Meanwhile, McGregor’s co-defendant James Lawrence has issued legal proceedings against Ms Hand in the High Court in Dublin.

That action arose from the personal injury action taken against him, in which a jury returned a verdict of not guilty.

During the same trial in November, the jury did not find Mr Lawrence had assaulted Ms Hand at the hotel.

However, the trial judge decided that Ms Hand would not have to pay Mr Lawrence’s costs.

Ms Hand was awarded almost 250,000 euros (£214,994) in damages and McGregor was also ordered to pay about 1.3 million euros (£1.1 million) in legal costs.

McGregor then launched an appeal on five grounds, which was dismissed in full by the Court of Appeal in July.

The court also dismissed Mr Lawrence’s appeal against the trial judge’s decision not to award him his legal costs.

The judges raised the fact that McGregor had paid Mr Lawrence’s legal fees in an arrangement “shrouded in mystery”.

The court also said the impact of awarding costs to Mr Lawrence and them being passed on to McGregor should be taken into account, before dismissing Mr Lawrence’s appeal.

In a new statement on Thursday, Mulholland Law said it had been instructed by its clients to file an application for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court.

These applications were filed with the court on Wednesday.

The firm said: “Mr McGregor and Mr Lawrence are deeply disappointed by the decisions reached in the lower courts.

“Mr Lawrence’s grievance has now resulted in separate High Court proceedings being issued against the plaintiff, Ms Ni Laimhin, for malicious abuse of process.

“Whilst proceedings remain in their infancy, we are confident that our client will be properly vindicated and the record set straight in due course.”

Solicitor Ciaran Mulholland said “serious legal issues” arose from the Court of Appeal’s judgment in July.

“We now seek that the Supreme Court acknowledge the exceptional public interest in adjudicating on these applications favourably.”

Mr McGregor’s application focuses on his constitutional right to silence.

Mr Mulholland added: “However, lip service was applied in a highly prejudicial and unfair manner before the lower courts against my client and it is only right and just that this is considered and clarified by our Supreme Court.

“Equally there is a necessity that the Supreme Court clarify the legal points raised in the separate application of Mr Lawrence – a gentleman that was wrongfully and unnecessarily dragged through High Court litigation without cause, then following successfully defending the action against him is not awarded costs.”