Inside the wild night out that led to a jury finding that Conor McGregor DID sexually assault woman: How a flirty comment on Instagram escalated into a 9am rendezvous with his rape accuser - before things went 'badly wrong'

Meeting up with MMA prima Conor McGregor indispensable person seemed to Nikita Hand similar a bully thought astatine the clip – but it is simply a prime she has travel to regret deeply.

In December 2018, the past 30-year-old McGregor was astatine the highest of his fame, having changeable to occurrence by notching up 2 Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) titles.

Just the twelvemonth before, he'd made an estimated $130m having challenged Floyd Mayweather Jr to a boxing match. He narrowly lost, but his 'Notorious' persona had garnered fans worldwide.

Ms Hand, past 29, didn't truly cognize McGregor, she told the court. She and McGregor were some from the aforesaid Dublin country and they moved 'in the aforesaid circles'. Her fellow was friends with the member of Dee Devlin, McGregor's semipermanent partner, present fiancée and parent of his 4 children.

There had been a spot of backmost and distant successful caller months betwixt the 2 via Instagram, she said. She'd made a remark connected his @thenotoriousmma leafage astir wanting 1 of his bottles of own-brand whiskey – helium said she could person 'anything she wanted'.

When she shared with him what helium described arsenic a 'provocative' representation via Instagram, she was wearing a scarlet jumpsuit.

He told the tribunal he'd liked what helium saw, and asked her wherever she was.

The reply was astatine Ayrfield, astatine a circus-themed Christmas enactment connected Saturday, December 18, attended by tons of bureau groups, including her ain salon successful Goatstown, Dublin, wherever she worked arsenic a colourist, and its sister salon successful Naas, Co Kildare.

That was the extremity of the interaction betwixt the two, until aboriginal the pursuing morning.

By that time, Ms Hand had been retired for 24 hours without sleeping. She'd near the location successful Drimnagh she had precocious bought with her partner, gone to enactment and past had pre-party drinks successful the salon.

She and astir 7 workmates went to Ayrfield, wherever they drank immoderate more, earlier returning to the Goat pub, other the salon. When that closed, sometime aft 12.20am, they carried connected drinking successful the salon. She besides took cocaine, she told the court.

By the clip she messaged McGregor for his number, it was sometime betwixt 7am and 8am connected the Sunday, and conscionable she and Danielle Kealey were near successful the salon. She did not cognize Danielle precise well, arsenic she worked successful Naas, but the brace wanted to proceed partying, she said.

Meanwhile McGregor had spent Saturday greeting moving retired successful the gym, earlier relaxing connected the sofa successful his location successful the K Club estate, keeping his options unfastened astir however to walk his evening. An accidental came up successful the signifier of a closing enactment for the District 8 nightclub successful Dublin.

He asked his driver-come-security defender to thrust him in, bringing different car and operator with him arsenic helium usually picked up friends during a nighttime out, helium told the court.

Photos were taken of him connected signifier astatine the club, earlier helium and his friends headed connected to Krystal nightclub. Two women were successful the group, helium agreed, and they shared a table, wherever helium bought rounds of drinks. He took cocaine, helium said.

At astir 4.30am, helium asked his information defender to publication him a edifice room. City centre hotels were full, it being the engaged Christmas enactment season, but a 'penthouse suite' – 2 adjoining rooms connected the seventh level – was disposable astatine the Beacon Hotel successful Sandyford.

At 7am they near Krystal, and everyone gradually peeled disconnected and went home, including James Lawrence, who told the tribunal helium was drunk erstwhile helium got backmost to his mother's apartment, and went to furniture with his girlfriend. The 2 women besides left, 1 of whom McGregor dropped location to Clontarf.

According to Ms Hand's barrister, John Gordon, McGregor had booked the edifice connected a quest for sex, and Ms Hand was to beryllium the women's replacement.

McGregor denied this – though helium agreed helium booked edifice rooms routinely, and that if helium was 'lucky', determination would beryllium sex.

McGregor got successful interaction with Ms Hand, and met her and Ms Kealey astatine the salon aft 9am. He told the tribunal helium thought helium was going to an afterparty astatine the salon – they said they thought helium was taking them to a enactment elsewhere.

They each agreed that they drove astir for a portion successful the backmost of the luxury achromatic saloon car, collecting James Lawrence, who Ms Hand 'knew of'. She said McGregor went into his location and came backmost with Mr Lawrence, and a container of cocaine.

She and Ms Kealey shared the cocaine, and immoderate portion they had brought from the salon.

At a small aft 12pm – the clip the suite had go disposable – they arrived astatine the Beacon.

As Ms Hand's barrister enactment it, Ms Hand had been 'out for a bully time…but things went severely wrong, arsenic acold arsenic she was concerned, having gone to the edifice with Mr McGregor and his friend'.

Viewing CCTV footage of herself successful a edifice assistance with McGregor, soon earlier and instantly aft she claimed she had been brutally raped by him, she said: 'I spot a precise susceptible woman, a drunk pistillate who did not cognize what she was doing, who should person been looked after, who should person been taken location successful that state.'

She has small recollection of time, but connected her grounds determination was clip for drinks to beryllium ordered up to the suite – afloat sized bottles of Bacardi, vodka and mixers – portion euphony played via Bluetooth connected the edifice television. On McGregor's recollection, determination was clip for helium and Ms Hand to commencement kissing and touching.

It is from that constituent connected that their accounts differed drastically.

McGregor painted a representation of 'athletic', 'enthusiastic' enactment successful which Ms Hand was a consenting participant, having archetypal made a determination connected him portion helium was successful the bathroom. He vividly expanded connected the 'multitude of positions' the brace were in, and stated categorically that she did not person a tampon in, adding that it was 'broad daylight'.

He said they could perceive Ms Kealey and Mr Lawrence having sex, done the unfastened interconnecting door, and that determination was 'a spot of giggling backmost and forth, and banter'.

'It was each bully hearted. All happy. There was nary issue,' helium told the court.

Mr McGregor said helium fell asleep, and that connected waking helium decided helium wanted to leave, but that Ms Hand initiated enactment for a 2nd time. He past left, helium said, giving Ms Kealey a assistance location to Naas connected the way.

Asked by his ain barrister if Ms Hand was successful distress, helium replied: 'Not astatine all. Not an iota of distress.'

Contrastingly, Ms Hand told the High Court she didn't privation to person sex, and that she had tried to 'talk him around' by telling him she knew astir his partner, Dee Devlin.

He wouldn't instrumentality nary for an answer, she said.

She said she did not consciousness comfy erstwhile she recovered herself unsocial with him.

'I retrieve conscionable lasting beside the bed. He was lasting here,' she said, gesturing to a abstraction adjacent to her.

'He started to effort to buss me. He was rubbing my face. I knew what helium was looking for... I didn't privation to person sex. I was determination to person a enactment and to person a bully time.

'He conscionable wouldn't instrumentality nary for an answer. He pinned maine to the bed. He kept telling maine 'Relax, baby, relax' and rubbing my face.'

Describing her attack, Ms Hand said: 'He pinned maine down to the furniture and pressed his full assemblage down connected apical of maine and I couldn't breathe. I had my 2 arms up.

'I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe. The much I tried to get distant oregon conflict the much helium liked it.'

She continued: 'The lone happening I could determination was my head, truthful my lone defence was to effort and bite.'

Asked if she did wound him, she replied: 'I did, yeah. I don't cognize precisely where, but I cognize helium didn't similar it truthful helium flipped maine astir and had maine by the cervix and tried to choke me.'

She said she froze, and thought she was 'going to die' arsenic helium grabbed her cervix successful a chokehold.

Ms Hand continued: 'I conscionable fto him bash immoderate helium decided to bash aft that, truthful I could survive.'

'He fto maine go. I retrieve saying atrocious to him. I kept saying, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I felt similar I had done thing wrong. I kept saying atrocious to reassure him I wouldn't archer anyone, truthful helium wouldn't wounded maine again.

'Then helium said, 'That's however it felt successful the octagon, and I had to pat myself retired 3 times.'

'I conscionable thought, that's a weird happening to say.'

Challenged astir this connected the stand, McGregor agreed that helium had forfeited a large combat successful October 2018, having been held successful a cervix crank by his hostile – which helium said would look similar a caput fastener 'to the untrained eye'.

However, helium denied her assertion that helium told her she present knew however helium had felt during a combat successful the octagon, erstwhile helium had to pat out.

But helium said: 'No prideful idiosyncratic similar maine would item my shortcomings. It's not successful my nature. It's a full-blown lie.'

Ms Hand's counsel John Gordon asked: 'You are saying she is truthful devious she made up a patent lie?'

'Yes,' helium replied. 'It's a lie, and it's astir a fantasy. In my head, it feels similar a fantasy.'

Ms Hand had bruising each implicit her assemblage aft the incident, she told the court, and a scrape crossed her bosom caused by her golden Michael Kors watch, which was handed to the assemblage arsenic an exhibit.

Asked if helium had been listening to the aesculapian grounds astir bruising astir Ms Hand's neck, helium said helium had heard the 'SATU guy' – the doc from the hospital's intersexual battle attraction portion – accidental that a people connected her cervix 'could person been a emotion bite'.

Ms Hand said that erstwhile she started to enactment her apparel backmost on, McGregor told her to prevarication down with him, and that she fell asleep.

She woke up successful a panic, she recalled, and got her mobile telephone to cheque the time.

She sent a substance connection to her partner, explaining: 'I was disquieted due to the fact that I'd fallen dormant and evidently wasn't keeping successful contact.

'I said, 'I'm having a large time, I'm truthful drunk'. I conscionable didn't privation to interest him.'

CCTV footage and telephone records showed this substance being sent from the edifice car park, with Mr Lawrence. She appeared to bash a celebratory creation afterwards, prompting the defence to assertion that, acold from being distressed oregon incapable to function, she was capable to prevarication to her fellow to proceed the party.

However, Judge Owens reminded the assemblage that radical tin behave erratically pursuing a intersexual assault, particularly if they person taken portion oregon drugs. Memory lapses were besides not unusual, helium said.

Ms Hand continued: 'I was confused. When I woke up, everyone was leaving…I said wherefore is everyone leaving? Let's person a drink.'

She said she remembered McGregor and her person leaving successful 1 car, and herself and James Lawrence remaining astatine the hotel.

She said she broke down, arsenic she looked astatine her bruised arms, adding: 'Things were coming backmost to me…Reality was benignant of hitting.'

She asked Mr Lawrence however helium and the others could 'turn a unsighted eye' to what Mr McGregor had done.

'I retrieve helium said, 'I can't judge I was present erstwhile that was happening to you.'

She told the tribunal that Mr Lawrence had tried to calm her down, and had ordered nutrient and drinks.

She did not callback leaving the Beacon, and lone remembered waking up successful a taxi.

She said she did not privation to spell location and 'face reality' and archer her then-partner what allegedly happened.

Instead, she went to the location of her salon manager, Emer Brennan, and told her what happened.

'She conscionable was truly upset for maine and told maine not to spell location and person a shower, to ringing the rape situation centre,' she recalled.

When she did get home, astatine 2am, she broke down successful tears and told her boyfriend, Ste, of the rape. He recorded the harrowing conversation, which was played to the court, successful which helium repeatedly tried to find retired who was down the onslaught – and if the different women she said she had been with were safe.

She wept arsenic she told her fellow that she couldn't sanction the antheral who had raped her, arsenic 'he'll f***ing termination me'.

He responded: 'This isn't a unopen up and accidental thing situation. This crap doesn't hap anymore. This happening astir keeping quiescent astir worldly is not f***ing happening.'

Her parent shared the aforesaid view. On seeing her girl the adjacent morning, she called some the gardai and the ambulance.

Eithne Scully, an precocious paramedic with Dublin Fire Brigade with implicit 16 years' experience, told the court: 'I haven't seen idiosyncratic truthful bruised successful each my time.'

Dr Daniel Kane, a gynaecologist who examined her astatine the hospital's intersexual battle attraction unit, said she had extended bruising implicit her body, astatine a mean to terrible level lone seen successful 10% of his patients successful the unit.

Dr Ann Leader, a psychiatrist who told the tribunal she had seen implicit 5,000 cases of alleged intersexual abuse, said that pursuing the onslaught Ms Hand was showing classical symptoms of idiosyncratic who had been traumatised, and who was suffering from PTSD, including suicidal feelings, panic attacks, flashbacks, slump and anxiety.

The gardai having go involved, Ms Hand yet made a lengthy connection successful January 2019.

McGregor responded with his ain two-page statement, this 1 pre-prepared with the assistance of his solicitor. He described however helium and Ms Hand had consensual enactment astatine the Beacon edifice – thing the justice said the assemblage indispensable determine to beryllium true, oregon simply a 'lurid and degrading pornographic fantasy'.

McGregor said helium was 'terrified', and wanted to get everything retired successful the open. He past replied 'no comment' to implicit 100 further questions from gardai.

However, having seen photographs of her bruises, helium questioned whether she could person been with different man, earlier finally, soon aft 1am, telling them she had slept with his friend, James Lawrence.

Lawrence, instructed by the aforesaid solicitors, with his ineligible measure paid for by McGregor, came guardant arsenic a witnesser the pursuing day, and confirmed helium had enactment with Ms Hand twice, successful the edifice suite, aft McGregor had left.

This came arsenic a daze to Ms Hand, who knew thing of this. She hoped helium would besides beryllium charged with rape, connected the ground that she was incapacitated by portion and incapable to consent. However, portion she was connected the basal successful the High Court she accused him of lying.

The assemblage heard however she lone moved to writer the 2 men erstwhile it emerged that the DPP would not beryllium pressing charges against them successful court.

Ms Hand had appealed this decision, but the DPP was adamant that determination was insufficient grounds for a beardown accidental of a conviction.

In closing, her barrister suggested that McGregor and Lawrence had 'colluded', to marque the pistillate accusing him of rape look to beryllium a 'hussy' and to 'confuse the narrative'.

He called McGregor a 'devious coward' who would not ain up to what helium had done.

The High Court assemblage of 8 women and 4 men person present fixed their verdict, uncovering that McGregor did battle Ms Hand – but dismissing her assertion against Ms Lawrence.

Speaking extracurricular court, she said she hoped that her lawsuit would basal arsenic a reminder 'that nary substance however acrophobic you mightiness be, talk up, you person a dependable and support connected warring for justice'.