Work colleague ‘surprised’ to learn Conor McGregor rape accuser was assaulted

A woman who was with Nikita Hand in the hotel where she claims she was raped by Irish mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor, has told a High Court she was “surprised” to learn of the alleged sexual assault.

Ms Hand, who is claiming civil damages against McGregor and another man, was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following the alleged incident in December 2018.

Mr McGregor is facing an accusation in the civil action that he “brutally raped and battered” Ms Hand, who is also known as Nikita Ni Laimhin.

She is also suing another man, James Lawrence, for sexual assault on December 9 2018.

Ms Hand, who has no automatic right to anonymity, has accused Mr McGregor of pinning her to a bed and raping her in a hotel bedroom in south Dublin.

Everything was fine and no one was in bad form. I didn't notice anything that happened

Giving evidence on Wednesday, Danielle Kealey told the court she was with Ms Hand in south Dublin as part of a Christmas work party.

Ms Kealey, who was called to give evidence by Remy Farrell SC, for Mr McGregor, said she did not know Ms Hand well.

She told the court that they were collected by Mr McGregor from the salon at around 10am on the Sunday morning and after collecting Mr Lawrence, they were taken to the Beacon Hotel.

Asked to described the mood in the penthouse, she said everything was fine and everyone was in good form.

She told the court that she knew Ms Hand and Mr McGregor went into the bedroom, but doesn’t “know much about it”.

She said she did not know what was happening in the room, and that when she returned to the main room of the penthouse, “everything was fine”.

“Everything was fine and no one was in bad form. I didn’t notice anything that happened,” Ms Kealey said.

Asked if anyone appeared upset, she said “no”.

Ms Kealey said she was contacted by Ms Hand in the days after the alleged incident, claiming she had been raped.

Asked for her reaction, Ms Kealey said: “I was surprised because I didn’t see anything.

“I told her I hadn’t seen or heard anything.”

She also told the court that Ms Hand had asked her to delete messages between the two.

The court also heard from Dr Charlotte Murphy, a forensic scientist with Forensic Science Ireland, who examined samples taken from Ms Hand and her clothing 10 hours after the alleged incident.

The court heard that straps of a jumpsuit worn by Ms Hand were damaged beyond normal wear and tear.

She said that one strap was ripped off, which was consistent with pulling.

Dr Murphy said that traces of semen were found on Ms Hand’s jumpsuit and pants, and that DNA taken from swabs of her vagina, were one thousand million times more likely to match the DNA of Mr McGregor than anyone else.

Mr McGregor has not attended court on Wednesday as he had food poisoning overnight, according to Mr Farrell.

Judge Owens said the case can proceed as it is a civil case.