Jury sworn in for civil action against Conor McGregor for alleged 'sexual assault' at Dublin hotel

A jury has been sworn in for the High Court civil trial of Mixed Martial Arts star Conor McGregor who, along with another male defendant, is fighting a damages claim over the alleged "in effect, rape" of a woman at a hotel in Dublin in 2018.

Mr Justice Alexander Owens, in outlining the case to the jury panel, said that Mr McGregor is alleged to have sexually assaulted Nikita Ní Laimhín, which Mr Justice Owens said "in effect, amounted to a rape", alleged to have happened in December 2018.

At the High Court on Tuesday, Mr Justice Owens was told by Ray Boland SC, for the plaintiff, that the trial would take two weeks. Mr McGregor, 36, attended the court in a dark blue suit, navy tie and white shirt and was flanked by his father, Tony, and his co-defendant, who all sat towards the rear of the court.

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Mr Justice Owens told the jury panel that the complainant in the case is Ms Laimhín, who is a hair-colourist, and that the case was a civil action against both defendants, from whom the plaintiff is claiming damages.

Conor McGregor arriving at the High Court
(Image: Collins Photos)

Mr Justice Owens said the jury of eight women and four men to make themselves available for three weeks, should the case run over. The judge said that the jury were judges of fact and were not to think "anything that glitters is gold", not to discuss the case with others and not to be "private detectives" doing their own research. "You have enough to be doing," said Mr Justice Owens.

Ms Ní Laimhín's damages claim for alleged sexual assault against Mr McGregor was lodged against the celebrity fighter three years ago. The allegations in the actions are fully denied by Mr McGregor, who was once the highest-paid sportsperson in the world, and his co-defendant.

The plaintiff is represented by Ray Boland SC, John Gordon SC and Siún Leonowicz BL. Mr McGregor is represented by Remy Farrell SC.

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