"Petrified" Conor McGregor tells court he said "no comment" over 100 times to gardaí after being accused of rape
· IrishCentralIrish MMA fighter Conor McGregor has denied that he thought of using his friend as a "patsy" or "fall guy" when he was himself faced with an accusation of rape.
During his second day of cross-examination at the High Court, Mr. McGregor also denied having booked a hotel suite "with the intention of bringing girls back for sex."
Mr. McGregor and his friend James Lawrence have both been sued for damages by Nikita Hand, 35, from Drimnagh, who has alleged they both raped her in the Beacon Hotel in Dublin on December 9, 2018, following a cocaine and alcohol-fuelled afterparty.
Both have denied her allegation, and claimed the sex was consensual.
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John Gordon, Ms. Hand’s barrister, noted that Mr. McGregor gave a two-page handwritten statement to gardaí on January 27, 2019.
Mr. McGregor agreed that his solicitor had written the statement, based on his account of events. He also agreed that he had replied "no comment" to over a 100 further questions from gardaí, which he said he did on the basis of legal advice.
Mr. McGregor told the court: "This was the first time anything like his had happened to me. I was beyond petrified."
He told the court he was "here to speak my case" and that the whole experienced of facing a charge as serious as rape was "alien" to him.
"These are allegations that are false and I have had to come here to say my piece and to speak the truth. That’s it. These are lies. These allegations against me are false," he said.
Mr. Gordon noted that was only later that day, following more questioning, that Mr. McGregor asked gardaí: "Are you sure she did not have sex with anyone else?"
Later still, after seeing the photographs of Ms. Hand’s bruises and having heard portions of her complaint to the gardaí, Mr. Gordon said Mr. McGregor then told gardaí that James Lawrence had sex with Ms. Hand after him.
"Was it in your mind that he might be the patsy?" Mr. Gordon asked.
"I’m not sure," Mr. McGregor replied.
"Was it in your mind that Mr Lawrence might take the fall for you?" counsel pressed.
Mr. Gregor queried in response: "Whoever can believe in something like this? How silly."
He confirmed to the court that Mr. Lawrence had gone to the same solicitors’ firm as he had, and that he had paid Mr. Lawrence’s legal fees.
However, he said he did not recall advising Mr. Lawrence to use his firm.
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Later during the cross-examination, he agreed that he had asked his security guard to book the suite in the Beacon, at around 4:30 am, while he was still partying in Krystal nightclub.
Mr. Gordon put it to Mr. McGregor there were women in his group when the booking was made, but they later decided to go home.
Counsel suggested the booking was made "with the intention of bringing girls back for sex."
Mr. McGregor said the booking was made "maybe for a party or afterparty, to have the opportunity, or also just to get myself rested and refreshed."
He confirmed that he had contacted Ms. Hand after the other women and friends had left.
Mr. Gordon said: "I put it to you that you contacted her because she was to be the replacement for the girls that had left."
Mr. McGregor replied: "I was still partying away, as were they, and the invitation was to come to the salon for an afterparty. She wasn’t a replacement."
The court heard that Mr. McGregor collected Ms. Hand and her friend at 10:15 am, and drove around, also picking up Mr. Lawrence. They arrived at the Beacon Hotel at 12:15 pm, 15 minutes after the room was ready for check-in.
Mr. McGregor has now finished giving his evidence.
The case continues before Judge Alexander Owens and a jury of eight women and four men.
*This article was originally published on Extra.ie.