Bravery of Nikita Hand shines through as lives irrevocably changed after High Court case against Conor McGregor

Brave Nikita Hand fought back tears and was held by loved ones as she spoke outside court after a jury of her peers said they believed her.

The jury of eight women and four men ultimately found after two weeks that Ms Hand was assaulted by the multi-millionaire sportsman - who while not convicted of any offence, will now face the prospect of a tarnished reputation.

Conor McGregor looked visibly distraught when the jury returned the verdict that he assaulted Ms Hand - and although his partner Dee Devlin held him, he appeared inconsolable as he left court. First he darted into a room just off the main lobby - followed by a large crowd of family, friends and even workers at his famous ‘The Black Forge’ pub.

READ MORE: Nikita Hand's home broken into and partner stabbed in incident earlier this year

READ MORE: Conor McGregor breaks silence after Nikita Hand wins her High Court case against him

Then he quickly walked out the door - arm-in-arm with fiancee Dee Devlin and looking stony-faced as a massive crowd of media shouted questions at him to no avail.

The ‘Notorious’ was well supported in court - with his long-time partner by his side on Friday - as were his mother Margaret, father Tony and sister Aoife. Throughout the case, a series of young men also attended court - some of whom were seen even trying to get a selfie with the man on trial for such a heinous incident.

Ms Hand was obviously overcome with emotion when the verdict was read out - with her seen immediately being embraced by her partner and other family members inside the courtroom.

Over the course of the two-week trial, Ms Hand routinely became upset - often having to leave the room at certain junctures - including during her own testimony. It was obvious to any observer that recounting the events - and in particular viewing the CCTV footage, was incredibly difficult for Ms Hand to stomach.

Despite that she returned to court every time - and sat mere feet away from the major celebrity she had accused of brutally raping her six years ago. On the witness stand, Ms Hand did not shy away from the fact that she had taken cocaine or that she was incredibly drunk during certain portions of the night of December 9, 2018.

She had been at a work Christmas party that went on into the early hours, and ultimately ended up going back to an after-party in the salon she worked in. Despite risking embarrassment, Ms Hand openly agreed that she consumed cocaine - and that she even liked it.

She also confirmed that she repeatedly lied to her then boyfriend ‘Ste’ at certain times that night - not telling him who she was with or exactly where she was. She had also told him that she was having a good time and told the court she told him this because she didn’t want to worry him.

Ms Hand never once hid from any of these facts - and said she was out to have a good time before her nightmare began. These were all issues that McGregor’s Counsel ultimately attempted to use against Ms Hand - which, coupled with less than flattering CCTV footage, they said showed a picture of a drunken woman who was flirting with their client.

Ms Hand was clearly horrified by the CCTV footage - and having viewed all 45 minutes of it, insisted in cross examination that she didn’t want to see it again. She had told the court she could not remember anything shown in the footage - and said watching it was deeply disturbing for her.

Throughout all of the accusations thrown at her about being a liar, being drunk or being forgetful, Ms Hand was insistent about one thing - she was violently raped by Conor McGregor. Mr McGregor denied that he had raped her. Whatever about memory lapses in the night - Ms Hand was clear in her recollection that McGregor put her into a stranglehold, that he told her what it felt like to be in the Octagon, and that he raped her.

She had said she thought she was going to die, that she thought she was never going to see her daughter again - and how she had told him prior she did not want to have sex and that she was on her period - with a tampon in. Those were matters that it emerged she had told people from very early on - even though some finer elements of the story did differ.

Indeed, Ms Hand told her friend Emer Brennan in person that night that she had been raped - and Ms Brennan took photos of her bruising at the time.

Even in a recording introduced by McGregor’s side of Ms Hand talking to her then partner later that night - again her claims that she was violently raped and held in a chokehold were all there. The evidence then of the first Garda who met Ms Hand in the Rotunda Hospital also bore out that she had stated she was held in a chokehold, raped and that she was threatened by a man she refused to name.

Compelling evidence from paramedic Eithne Scully, who had said this was one of the worst cases she had ever seen, also stood in favour of Ms Hand. Dr Daniel Kane, who had to remove the tampon using a forceps, also spoke to the severity of the case and said what he uncovered was consistent with Ms Hand’s account.

The evidence of Ms Hand’s psychiatrist Dr Ann Leader was also of note - with the well regarded expert saying it was clear that she was suffering the effects of PTSD from a traumatic event. All of this medical evidence, coupled with the first accounts of those who met Ms Hand in the 24 hours after the assault, all stood to her favour.

The court had heard that since the event, Ms Hand has been unable to return to work - and that she has had to move out of her native Drimnagh as she lives in fear.

Although McGregor in not in any way responsible - the court has heard allegations that his own “supporters” are responsible for a sick and callous attack on her family home earlier this year. Couple that too with horrific criticism of Ms Hand on social media in recent weeks - with many branding her all manner of names.

As her own Counsel told the court, Ms Hand will remain a “marked woman” no matter what verdict the court decided. This is the sad and brutal reality of this case - and no matter what one's views are, it is clear that lives have been irrevocably been changed as a result of this.

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