Legal team for Conor McGregor’s accusers say masked men invaded victim’s home and stabbed partner before trial

The woman who successfully sued Conor McGregor for civil damages stemming from a sexual assault in 2018, Nikita Hand, was forced to move after her property was invaded in June by a group of masked men wearing balaclavas and guns, several Irish national outlets reported Friday.

The men also stabbed Hand’s partner and smashed the front windows of her house, according to the reports, which were revealed following the trial at Dublin’s High Court.

Details of the attack were passed to the High Court by Hand’s legal team ahead of the start of the civil trial in the absence of the jury, the outlets reported. Judge Alexander Owens, who oversaw the civil trial, ruled that the evidence was irrelevant to the case and should not go before the jury.

McGregor was found guilty of sexual assault on Friday stemming from an encounter in Dublin in December 2018. Hand, 35, claimed she was raped by McGregor and another man, James Lawrence, in a penthouse suite at the Beacon Hotel. A Supreme Court jury awarded Hand damages of €248,603.60 ($259,149.36), but because it was a civil case and not a criminal one, McGregor will not face any criminal penalties.

The jury found that Lawrence did not attack Hand.

During the civil trial, the jury was told that Hand made a claim for the cost of moving to another area of ​​Dublin, but was not told why the claim was made. According to courtroom reports, the jury heard a brief reference to her move by Hand’s doctor, Frank Clarke, who told the court she moved away from the area because of “something that happened”.

The jury also heard from valuer Patrick Sheehan, who valued the invaded Drimnagh property at €430,000. Sheehan was asked to price houses in “prime areas” of Dublin, all of which came in between €500,000 to €700,000.

Before the jury was sworn in, Hand’s senior counsel, Ray Boland, told the judge that her legal team wanted to introduce an event that occurred on June 14, according to the reports. He described men wearing balaclavas invading Hand’s home and her partner being stabbed as he chased the intruders out of their bedroom.

He also stated that Hand’s young daughter called 999 to alert the police during the invasion and that intruders smashed the front windows of the house before gardaí arrived.

Boland insisted that Hand’s legal team “obviously did not lay it at the feet of the defendants (McGregor) or say they had anything to do with it,” but instead argued that it was not an untargeted attack and arose from supporters by McGregor.

Boland said they would have no difficulty telling the jury they did not claim McGregor had anything to do with it, but Boland maintained the attack was relevant to Hand’s claim that she should move from Drimnagh and relevant to her state of anxiety.

Senior lawyer for McGregor, Remy Farrell, said the home invasion was something McGregor’s legal team knew nothing about before Boland’s statement, describing it as an “extraordinary and unprecedented” demand for moving costs.

McGregor continued to deny Hand’s sexual assault allegations in a statement Friday and announced intentions to appeal the verdict. In his courtroom testimony, the former two-division UFC champion described his encounter with Hand as consensual, “athletic,” “powerful” and “prolonged.”

McGregor, 36, last competed in the UFC in a loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021, suffering a broken leg. The UFC has not yet commented on McGregor being found responsible for sexual assault.