Inside Court 24: How the case against Conor McGregor played out

What started arsenic a amusive nighttime retired for a Christmas enactment party, ended six years aboriginal wrong the High Court successful Dublin, with Nikita Hand winning her lawsuit against Conor McGregor.

The Dublin pistillate and the Irish sports prima knew each different from increasing up successful the aforesaid country of south-west Dublin and socialising successful akin circles.

Throughout the three-week civilian case, Mr McGregor and Ms Hand sat feet distant from each different wrong the tiny Court 24.

The mother-of-one sat adjacent to her partner, Gary, for each of the 12 days of the lawsuit – helium often had his limb astir her arsenic the tribunal heard details of Mr McGregor’s mentation of events.

While the mixed martial arts combatant described the temper passim their clip successful the penthouse suite arsenic “happy” and “playful” and “full of energy”, Ms Hand spoke of feeling acrophobic for her life.

At 1 constituent arsenic helium gave evidence, Mr McGregor leaned into the microphone and said Ms Hand’s quality was idiosyncratic who was “joyed and excited” and “having a bully night”.

He recalled the nighttime successful detail, telling the tribunal his “story ne'er weaned”.

Mr McGregor said helium was shocked erstwhile Ms Hand went to constabulary astir what had happened successful country 715 of the now-closed Beacon Hotel, that helium had wanted to instrumentality a microphone to the apical of the mountains to outcry astir his mentation of events.

Ms Hand gave grounds for two-and-a-half days, her dependable shaking arsenic she told the assemblage she had struggled to interruption escaped from Mr McGregor, however she had been attacked, and however she thought she would ne'er spot her young girl again.

She tightened her manus astir tissues and astatine times she was reminded to talk up and into the microphone arsenic her dependable became hardly audible.

The sharply divergent accounts of what happened connected December 9 2018 were laid retired earlier the jury.

“One broadside oregon the different is telling lies,” Justice Alexander Owens told the panel.

The tribunal was packed with members of the nationalist each time of the case, with immoderate radical attending astir each day.

On 1 occasion, Justice Owens ordered those who could not get a spot successful the upstairs assemblage to leave. He reminded them that courts did not person to accommodate each idiosyncratic who wanted to ticker proceedings.

Members of the nationalist squeezed into the nationalist balcony to perceive what each parties had to say.

Among those seated successful the nationalist assemblage was a antheral with his young lad dressed successful his schoolhouse uniform, others had buying bags, portion immoderate took packed lunches – pensioners and teenagers sat side-by-side.

People successful the beforehand enactment of the nationalist balcony could beryllium seen leaning implicit the borderline of the rails to look down astatine Mr McGregor, who sat straight beneath them.

Sitting adjacent to Mr McGregor was his father, Tony McGregor, who was successful tribunal each day, including during the fewer hours his lad said helium could not be owed to an “upset stomach”.

For the astir part, Mr McGregor stared consecutive ahead, sometimes glancing to his near wherever the assemblage sat.

On Friday, helium was accompanied successful tribunal by his spouse Dee Devlin, his parents, sister, brother-in-law and niece. His parent rubbed his limb arsenic they waited for the assemblage to instrumentality their verdicts.

John Gordon, elder counsel for Ms Hand, had antecedently told the assemblage that they had been subjected to “arrogant, distasteful, dishonest testimony” by the Irish sportsman.

In his closing code earlier this week, Mr Gordon described Mr McGregor’s alleged behaviour arsenic “savage, coward and devious”.

He said Mr McGregor had colluded with his person James Lawrence to concoct a communicative that they had had consensual enactment with the hairdresser successful the penthouse.

Mr McGregor, who is reported to beryllium worthy astir £160 million, volition present person to wage retired much than £206,000 (248,603.60 euro), not including ineligible costs.

Speaking extracurricular court, Ms Hand said: “I privation to amusement Freya (Ms Hand’s daughter) and each different miss and lad that you tin basal up for yourself if thing happens to you – nary substance who the idiosyncratic is – and justness volition beryllium served.”