Conor McGregor loses appeal in civil sexual assault case

Three judges in the Court of Appeal in Dublin rejected all grounds of McGregor's appeal.

Dublin's High Court found in November that the MMA fighter was civilly liable for assaulting Nikita Hand in a hotel in the Irish capital in 2018.

He was ordered to pay her nearly €250,000 (£215,000) in damages and around €1.3m (£1.1m) in legal costs following the trial.

After the verdict, McGregor appealed on the basis of five grounds, one of which involved new evidence that was dramatically withdrawn at a hearing earlier this month.

It was an affidavit from a former neighbour of Ms Hand, Samantha O'Reilly, who said she had witnessed a physical row between Ms Hand and her then-partner at about the same time of the incident at the Beacon hotel.

McGregor's appeal went forward largely based on the circumstances under which his "no comment" answers to gardai (police) were allowed to enter the trial.

Reading out the judgment on behalf of the three-judge panel, Mr Justice Brian O'Moore summarised the grounds for appeal before explaining why the Court of Appeal dismissed all five.

"I therefore dismiss the appeal in its entirety," he said.

Outside court, Ms Hand described the case as a "long and painful journey" and said the appeal has "re-traumatised me over and over again and being forced to relive it had a huge impact on me".

She added: "To every survivor out there, I know how hard it is but please don't be silenced. You deserve to be heard, you also deserve justice. Today I can finally move on and try to move on."

Asked if she had any message for McGregor, she said "no".

This was an emphatic rejection of Conor McGregor's legal arguments. Every single ground of his appeal was comprehensively dismissed by the three-judge Court of Appeal in Dublin.

As Judge Brian O'Moore delivered their judgement, it was clear they were still baffled by the MMA fighter's abrupt withdrawal of new evidence minutes before the appeal itself got under way.

This move was made in "circumstances that remain somewhat mysterious" and "that met with this court's displeasure". His abandonment of the evidence proved that Nikita Hand's stance – she had said a witness was lying - was "correct".

One by one, McGregor's arguments were picked apart and dismissed. "Gossamer-thin" was one description used by the judge.

McGregor himself was nowhere to be seen. Nikita Hand sat in the middle of the bright, airy courtroom, and as we have repeatedly seen in these years-long proceedings, listened impassively as she was vindicated and awarded costs which will prove to be eye-watering.

It's unknown if McGregor will further appeal Thursday's decision.

He has spent previous days posting extensively about his presidential ambitions and the issue of immigration, months before the Irish presidential election. Today's verdict will undoubtedly prove damaging to any political aspirations he may yet retain.

McGregor's co-defendant has also lost his appeal against the trial judge's decision not to award him his legal costs.

During the same trial in November, the jury did not find James Lawrence had assaulted Ms Hand at the hotel.

However, the trial judge decided that Ms Hand would not have to pay Mr Lawrence's costs.

His legal team challenged whether that decision was correct and reasonable, arguing that Ms Hand should have to pay as the jury did not find he had assaulted her.

Delivering their judgment on Thursday, the three judges of the court - Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy, Mr Justice Brian O'Moore and Mr Justice Patrick MacGrath - agreed to dismiss both appeals in their entirety.

Ms Hand, who was in court, was embraced by her supporters after the judgment was delivered.

Neither McGregor nor Mr Lawrence were present in court.

-SKY NEWS