Nikita Hand was awarded damages following a civil case against the UFC fighter
Prosecutors have revealed the reason why UFC fighter Conor McGregor will not face criminal charges over sexual assault allegations.
Earlier this week, 36-year-old McGregor lost a civil court case against Nikita Hand after she accused him of pinning her to a bed, choking her three times, and ‘brutally’ raping and ‘battering’ her at a Dublin hotel in December 2018.
McGregor denied any wrongdoing, but the Dublin High Court ultimately decided in favour of Hand, with the fighter now required to pay €250,000 (£200,000) in damages.
The decision was reached after the court spent eight days hearing evidence and three days of speeches, with the jury beginning deliberations on Thursday (21 November).
Nikita Hand has been awarded damages following a rape claim against Conor McGregor (PA)
Hand had brought a similar claim against McGregor’s friend, James Lawrence, for sexual assault, however, the court ultimately decided against Hand’s case. Lawrence also denied any wrongdoing.
Following the conclusion of the trial, many have been wondering why McGregor won’t face criminal charges over the allegations, with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) previously deciding against this in 2020.
According to reports published by MailOnline and The Journal, this decision was explained to the jury during the hearing, with former DPP Claire Loftus twice concluding that the prosecution wouldn’t be able to ‘prove beyond reasonable doubt’ that a crime had been committed.
A letter from the DDP’s office added that the police file had been examined by a lawyer and senior counsel, with the letter reading: “We considered a number of offences, among which were rape and assault causing harm.
“The prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the suspect did it. The suspect does not have to prove their innocence.”
McGregor has been ordered to pay €248,603.60 (£206,714.31) (PA)
Hand would later dispute the ruling with support from Dublin Rape Crisis, claiming that she believed she was being ‘treated differently from other victims’ due to McGregor’s high-profile.
In a follow-up letter, Loftus reaffirmed the original decision was ‘correct’, adding that Hand’s statements to police and CCTV footage from the night in question would not be enough to get a conviction.
“It is not a question of who we as prosecutors believe,” the second letter read. “Our job is to assess whether there is a reasonable prospect of conviction on the basis of all of the evidence.”
Following the conclusion of the civil trial, Hand stated that she had felt vindicated by the ruling and hoped that it would remind survivors of sexual abuse to keep ‘pushing forward for justice’.
“Now that justice has been served, I can now try and move on and look forward to the future with my family and friends and daughter,” she added.
Meanwhile McGregor stated in a now-deleted social media post that he planned to appeal the ruling.
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