Evidence concludes in Conor McGregor case

Evidence has concluded in the civil action taken by 35-year-old Nikita Hand against mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor and another man, over an alleged rape in a Dublin hotel six years ago.

Ms Hand alleges she was raped by Mr McGregor and his friend, James Lawrence of Rafter's Road in Drimnagh, on 9 December 2018.

The two men deny the claims and say they had consensual sex with her.

The final witness in the case was a doctor called on behalf of Mr McGregor. The court was told Professor Basil John Farnan is a GP and a forensic physician with experience of examining victims of various types of assault.

Prof Farnan explained that bruises were caused by blunt trauma which causes blood vessels under the skin to be damaged and the blood to leak and percolate towards the skin.

He said if the bruising is deep in the tissue it can take 24 or 48 hours to appear on the skin.

He said bruises could change in size, shape, colour and position as they developed.

Prof Farnan said there was a "website" which stated that Sertraline – an anxiety medication which Ms Hand was taking had a propensity to cause bruises.

Prof Farnan was asked if the issue of foreign objects in the vagina would come up from time to time in his practice as a GP.

He said doctors would prescribe some medication to be given vaginally and there was no problem for women to have relations with their husbands with this medication.

He also said it was possible to have intercourse with a particular hormone replacement treatment which is inserted into the vagina.

He said "Can I have sex with a tampon" was not a question that was asked very often.

Under cross examination, he said it would be a "peculiar" question but he had discovered that people had had sex with a tampon in place and were flabbergasted afterwards to find it.

A woman who had had a child might not feel it as easily as a woman who had not had children.

Prof Farnan said he could not comment on a suggestion by Senior Counsel, Ray Boland for Ms Hand that the question was not asked very much because no one would choose to have sex with a tampon in.

Prof Farnan also said there could be possible redness at an area of trauma before bruising appeared.

He said bruising could appear within a number of hours - depending on where the trauma took place. It could appear quickly where tissues were slack and would take longer where tissues were dense.

Some appear quickly and some take between 24 and 48 hours he said. Prof Farnan said it was a good idea to examine someone again after 24 hours because more bruising can appear.

The jury was told there were no more witnesses in the case.

Mr Justice Alexander Owens told the jurors the next step would be a legal discussion in their absence about the issue paper that would be produced for them.

He said the jurors were the big decision makers and he and the lawyers would be putting the questions before them. He said they would have to evaluate facts and come to conclusions.

The judge said he would bring the jury back next week when the important questions would be formulated.

They would be addressed by lawyers for Mr McGregor and Mr Lawrence first and then by lawyers for Ms Hand.

Judge Owens said the lawyers would each be putting their side of the case, after which he would charge them and tell them what the law was.

He told them not be googling and not to consult the law books themselves.

"Stay away from that - I will explain that to you," the judge said, telling them they were not entitled to have "every person’s lawyer sitting in your laps".

The closing stages of the case will begin on Tuesday morning.