Conor McGregor begins appeal against civil rape case finding

Conor McGregor begins appeal against civil rape case finding

BBC News NI Dublin reporter Kevin Sharkey highlighted in a recent article that Conor McGregor, the Irish mixed martial artist, had been ordered to pay Nikita Hand over €248,000 (£206,000) in damages by the Ireland’s Court of Appeal. McGregor decided to withdraw an application to introduce new evidence at the appeal, the proposed evidence involving a couple, Samantha O’Reilly and Steven Cummins, who used to be neighbors of Nikita Hand and claimed to have witnessed a dispute between Hand and her ex-partner in December 2018. McGregor believed this new evidence could indicate that bruises on Hand’s body were caused by her former partner, a claim which Hand vehemently denied in an affidavit.

In response to the suggested new evidence, Hand’s lawyer conveyed that she dismissed it as falsehoods, a statement that was later acknowledged. The lawyer also suggested that McGregor should be referred for “subornation of perjury,” implying he had influenced individuals to commit perjury. Additionally, McGregor also decided to forgo an attempt to present new evidence from former state pathologist for Northern Ireland, Prof Jack Crane. Outside the court, a group of people, including Irish MP Ruth Coppinger, gathered in support of Nikita Hand during the proceedings.

McGregor’s appeal revolves around various concerns stemming from the civil trial held at Dublin’s High Court the previous year. One of the main issues being questioned in the appeal is whether McGregor assaulted Nikita Hand, with McGregor’s legal team arguing that the question should have specifically mentioned sexual assault. On the other hand, Hand’s lawyer argued that the term “assault” was comprehensive enough to cover various types of assault, including assault by rape. The appeal also delves into the handling of McGregor’s responses in interviews with Irish police, where McGregor refrained from commenting extensively. The appeal is currently being reviewed by three Appeal Court judges, with Hand herself present at the hearing alongside her relatives and friends

Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More