Conor McGregor sexually assaulted woman in 2018, Irish civil jury finds

LONDON – A woman who claimed mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor “brutally raped and raped” her in a Dublin hotel penthouse was awarded nearly 250,000 euros ($257,000) by a civil jury in Ireland on Friday.

The woman said the assault on December 9, 2018, after a night of partying, had left her badly bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

McGregor shook his head as the jury of eight women and four men delivered the verdict after deliberating for about six hours at the High Court in Dublin. He was mobbed by cameras as he left court but did not comment.

McGregor testified that he never forced the woman to do anything against her will and said she made up the allegations after the two had consensual sex.

The woman’s lawyer said she never pretended to be a saint and had gone out looking for a good time that turned into a nightmare.

Attorney John Gordon said McGregor was angry over a fight he had lost in Las Vegas two months earlier and was taking it out on his client.

“He’s not a man, he’s a coward,” Gordon told jurors. “A sneaky coward and you should treat him for what he is.”

The woman had to take several breaks in her emotional testimony when she said McGregor threatened to kill her during the meeting.

McGregor put her in a choke hold several times and later told her, “now you know how I felt in the octagon, where I got knocked out three times,” referring to an Ultimate Fighting Championship when he had to concede defeat, she said.

She feared she would die and never see her daughter again.

“He let me go and I remember saying I was sorry as I felt I did something wrong and I wanted to assure him I wouldn’t tell anyone so he wouldn’t hurt me again,” she said.

She said she then let him do what he wanted and he had sex with her.

Police investigated the woman’s complaint, but prosecutors declined to press charges, saying there was insufficient evidence and a conviction was unlikely.

McGregor said the two had sex that was athletic and energetic, but not hard. He said “she never said ‘no’ or stopped” and testified that everything she said was a lie.

“It’s a complete lie among many lies,” he said when asked about the chokehold claim. “How could anyone think that as a proud person I would highlight my shortcomings.”

McGregor’s lawyer told jurors they had to override their will against the fighter.

“You may have an active dislike for him, some of you may even loathe him – there’s no use pretending the situation could be any different,” said lawyer Remy Farrell. “I’m asking you not to invite him to Sunday brunch.”

The defense said the woman never told investigators McGregor threatened her life. They also showed surveillance video in court that they said appeared to show the woman kissing McGregor’s arm and hugging him after they left the hotel room. Farrell said she looked “happy, happy, happy.”

McGregor said that when he was first questioned by police, he read them a prepared statement. On the advice of his lawyer, he refused to answer more than 100 follow-up questions.