Woman denies CCTV footage ‘flatly contradicts’ her claims Conor McGregor raped her – The Irish Times

A woman who claimed she was raped by mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor in a Dublin hotel bedroom has denied that CCTV footage “completely contradicts” her account of what happened.

Nikita Hand, who became upset during continued cross-examination in her High Court civil action, said she did not want to see CCTV footage, including footage of her in a lift at the Beacon Hotel in Sandyford on December 9, 2018, with Mr McGregor . .

According to her, she does not remember the video surveillance cameras. It was a “very heavy watch” when it was shown to her and the jury on Wednesday during her direct examination.

“It’s not me, it’s not my character, I’m drunk, I stumble. I don’t want to look at it again, it really worries me.”

Remy Farrell SC, for Mr McGregor, told her it was very worrying “because everything in it is completely contrary to what you said”.

The witness replied: “No, the footage does not capture what happened to me in that room with Conor. I know what happened to me, I was brutally raped and beaten.”

Cross-examination of Ms Hand continued on Thursday, the third day of her civil action for damages against Mr McGregor and James Lawrence, of Rafters Road, Drimna, for allegedly sexually assaulting her on December 9, 2018.

Both men deny the charges.

In her direct evidence, Ms Hand, 35, the child’s mother, who was working as a painter at the time of the alleged attack, told jurors that Mr McGregor pinned her to a bed in a penthouse at the Beacon Hotel. and strangled her before raping her.

The jury heard that Ms Hand had attended her work Christmas party last night and continued the party until December 9. They were told that she, a friend, Mr McGregor and Mr Lawrence took the lift from the underground car park to the hotel’s penthouse at about 12.30pm on December 9.

Ms Hand said she drank beer and Bacardi and took some cocaine at the Christmas party and also took cocaine in Mr McGregor’s car on the way to the hotel.

The jury heard that on December 10, 2018, she was examined at the Rotunda Hospital’s sexual assault trauma unit and a doctor described in detail bruises and welts on several areas of her body. She made an official statement to the Guard on January 5, 2019.

She said she was “absolutely devastated” when the DPP later ruled there was insufficient evidence to prosecute the alleged assaults.

On Thursday, Mr Farrell explained to Ms Hand that the CCTV footage contradicted her claims that she was not interested in a “romantic relationship” on December 9.

The barrister said CCTV footage showed she had “romantic thoughts” about Mr Lawrence at some points.

Ms Hand agreed she was and CCTV showed her kissing Mr Lawrence.

She said she doesn’t feel she was wrong because she doesn’t remember. “I know it’s me on the CCTV, but it’s not my character, I’m not behaving normally, I’m very, very drunk.”

According to her, the situation in the hotel was not what she thought. She thought there would be a party with more people, but the mood changed, “and it just didn’t feel right.”

Ms Hand’s lawyer called Mr McGregor at 6.27pm on 9 December 2018 and asked how she was calling someone who she claimed had brutally raped her earlier.

She said she did not know why she had called him and that Mr. Lawrence had taken the phone from her. According to her, there was a lot around.

She accepted she was mistaken when she told gardaí she was staying at the Morgan Hotel in Temple Bar in Dublin city center and not the Beacon. She thought it was Morgan because of the style of the bathtub in the hotel room, she said.

In reply to the barrister, she said it had not occurred to her that if gardaí thought it was Morgan, the CCTV would not be available.

Earlier in her cross-examination, Ms Hand agreed that she had been at the Beacon Hotel during the day on 9 December 2018. She does not remember leaving the hotel.

The lawyer said CCTV footage showed her leaving the hotel with Mr Lawrence at 10.28pm.

When she went to her then-partner’s house later that night, she had a confrontation with him, she said. She said she told him what had happened, “but she didn’t tell him who it was.”

She said her partner saw the state she was in, including the bruises. She agreed that she told him she was with her work colleagues. She didn’t remember telling him that she had gone into the bar at the Morgan, she remembered some things but not everything, and she remembered getting frustrated with him and arguing with him.

She accepted that she lied to him about who she was with and said it was because she “didn’t want to sugarcoat the situation”.

Only later did she find out that her partner at the time had recorded her.

When she woke up at the Beacon Hotel earlier in the evening, she said, she had no memory of what had happened to her. She agreed she texted her partner at around 6.28pm saying she was having a good time.

Earlier, just before cross-examination resumed, Mr Justice Alexander Owens told the jury his role included ensuring the rules of evidence were applied.

He said the various documents given to them the day before, including correspondence from the DPP, were not evidence, did not relate to the issues they had to decide and would be returned. According to him, jurors can only deal with witnesses given in court.

He said the DPP’s view “is of no use” in the context of this case and should not influence their decision.

Cross-examination continues.