Conor McGregor rape accuser was diagnosed with 'severe PTSD' and 'wanted to die', High Court told

A paramedic who examined the woman who claims she was ‘raped’ by Conor McGregor has told a court she had not “seen somebody so bruised in a long time".

Eithne Scully, a paramedic with Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB), was giving evidence on the fifth day of the High Court civil case in which Nikita Hand is suing UFC star Conor McGregor and James Lawrence for damages over alleged sexual assault.

Ms Hand (35), a former hair colourist from Drimnagh, has alleged she was forcibly raped by McGregor, who denies the claims - in the penthouse suite of the Beacon Hotel in Sandyford, South Dublin on December 9, 2018.

READ MORE - Conor McGregor trial: Every update from day five as paramedic outlines 'bruising' to the court

READ MORE - Conor McGregor and family travel to Down for weekend getaway

Later the jury of four men and eight women heard from a psychiatrist who diagnosed Ms Hand with PTSD and who told the jury that Ms Hand told her she "wanted to die".

Ms Scully, an advanced paramedic with DFB, confirmed to the court that she tended to Ms Hand in an ambulance which called to her mother’s home in Drimnagh on the morning of December 10.

Ms Scully said Ms Hand, who was wearing pyjamas, allowed her to examine her body - and it was then that she noticed she was “very bruised".

She noted bruising on the Plaintiff's lower neck and around her chest and her breast “down to her legs".

“I haven't actually seen somebody so bruised in a long time,” Ms Scully told the court.

Nikita Hand arriving at court on Tuesday morning.
(Image: Collins Photos)






James Lawrence of Rafters Road, Drimnagh pictured leaving court.
(Image: Colin Keegan)

She also told the court that Ms Hand had told her on the way to the hospital that she had been “grabbed around the neck,” that she was fighting somebody off and that “a threat was made to her".

She further told the court - which observed CCTV footage of Ms Hand in the ambulance - that she was “curled up,” “very distressed” and wanted to keep herself under a blanket as she was wheeled into the hospital in a wheelchair.

The court also heard from Ms Hand’s long-standing GP in Walkinstown, Dr. Frank Clarke - who told the court he had a “long history” with her and her mother over the years and stated that the Plahad a history of "being an anxious person".

"She had a history over many years of being an anxious person and was struggling at times to manage life," Dr Clarke told the court.

Due to that he said Ms Hand was administered with a low dosage of serotonin, which he told the court is "extremely commonly prescribed medication".

Referring to a report he made in March 2019, Dr Clarke said Ms Hand was struggling to cope with working as a hair colourist at the time - that she was “very depressed” and anxious and he deemed her unfit to work.

He told the court that he upped the dosage of Ms Hand’s medication that she was prescribed at the time but that she was having problems tolerating it.

Ms Hand was placed on another form of medication to help her sleep, he told the court, adding that it was usually prescribed for someone suffering from night terrors, panic and “much more severe distress.”

Ms Hand was prescribed at one stage with Diazepam and Valium - a class of benzodiazepine drugs and in November 2020 he concluded Ms Hand had significant physical and emotional distress and would require ongoing counselling.

As of April 3 this year, Dr. Clarke told the court that Ms Hand "was continuing with her regular psychotherapy for PTSD" - something he said as a result of made her struggle with her self esteem.

He said oftentimes when that happens a person hates themselves, they start drinking too much and behaving in an uncharacteristic way - and stated “that happened to Nikita.”

Dr Clarke told the court that post traumatic stress disorder is caused by an “extremely stressful or terrifying event” - and told the court that its symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares and people getting triggered by things they don't expect.

He said in the case of Ms Hand she was eventually unable to return to work because it was a daily reminder to her that the alleged assault happened after a work related Christmas party.

He said people with PTSD have negative thoughts of fear, blame, anger and guilt - and told the court that “Nikita had them all.”

He stated that Ms Hand is “not an alcoholic” but said she had been drinking heavily - something he said impulsive anxious people do without realising it causes further depression.

The doctor told the court that Ms Hand has fallen behind in attending ongoing scans - and stated this was because she has PTSD - and stated she has "quite a bit of therapy ahead of her".

(Image: Colin Keegan)





(Image: Colin Keegan)

Under cross examination by Remy Farrell SC for Conor McGregor, Dr Clarke confirmed he had documented anxiety and panic attacks in Ms Hand before 2008.

Dr Clarke also confirmed a record of Ms Hand suffering back pain and anxiety following a car crash she suffered in 2016.

In response to Mr Farrell he stated that the symptoms Ms Hand was suffering at the time were “mild anxiety” and stated that it is a “totally different thing to PTSD now.”

Psychiatrist Dr Ann Leader, who told the court she had dealt with over 5,000 people who alleged to have suffered sexual abuse in her career, told the court that Ms Hand “was a good communicator and a clear historian".

Following an objection from Mr Farrell SC - Presiding Judge Alexander Owens advised the witness not to give opinion and to “just stick to psychiatry" when giving evidence before the court.

Dr Leader said that when she met Ms Hand she noted that she “felt she was losing control of her life and was falling apart.”

She was also worried that pictures of her bruised body may be circulating online.

Her notes referred to Ms Hand stating that gardai had told her that the friend of the man she alleged raped her (referred to as Mr X) had claimed he had consensual sex with her - and this left her “feeling like a lump of meat.”

Ms Hand had stated she felt as though she was not there for her daughter because she was preoccupied with what had occurred - and she was finding it difficult to manage her relationship with her then partner.

Dr Leader, in her own examination, concluded that Ms Hand suffered from “severe PTSD” and noted that the complainant was “anxious, tearful, and in my opinion, came across as someone who was traumatised".

In Dr Leader's opinion, the event Ms Hand described experiencing was “a very traumatic event” - something she stated to the court was a criteria for diagnosing PTSD.

She stated that Ms Hand “withdrew from life, felt unable to be present for her mother, her child and her partner” - and that she was experiencing “nightmares, flashbacks and panic attacks” - all of which the witness stated was common with PTSD.

Dr Leader’s report noted that Ms Hand stated she was having frequent panic attacks and experiencing a “choking sensation” and the feeling as though she was going to pass out.

"She developed panic attacks, which occurred frequently. She had very significant symptoms of PTSD. She felt she had been permanently damaged by what had happened. She told me she wanted to die. She felt dirty, ashamed and guilty,” Dr Leader continued.

In a further examination in December 2020, Dr Leader described Ms Hand as anxious and embarrassed - and she stated she felt she needed the appropriate treatment - which she felt at the time she was getting.

In a review on March 30 this year Dr Leader noted she "felt she had improved" and stated that Ms Hand was attending her therapist, was off her antidepressants - but was still experiencing symptoms of PTSD.

Presiding Judge, Mr Justice Alexander Owens arriving at the High Court in Dublin.
(Image: Collins Photos)





Mixed Martial Arts fighter Conor McGregor with his father Tony McGregor (left) outside the High Court in Dublin.
(Image: PA)

Earlier in the day paramedic Eithne Scully’s colleague Neil Dempsey - also a paramedic and firefighter with the DFB, detailed how he arrived via ambulance to Ms Hand’s mother’s address at 8:41am on December 10, 2018.

He told the court that he initially went upstairs and met Ms Hand who he described as being “quite distressed” and “afraid.”

He said he also noticed “some visible marks in or around her throat,” and that Ms Hand stated there that she was “sexually assaulted.”

He told the court that Ms Hand’s chief concern at that time was that she had a tampon up inside her.

His colleague Ms Scully came into the room and he stepped outside he said.

Taking her to the ambulance he checked Ms Hand’s vital signs and noted that her heart rate was elevated.

Her demeanour, Mr Dempsey said , was "quite distressed" and if memory serves him, Ms Hand had some form of a panic attack on the way to the Rotunda Hospital.

CCTV footage from inside the ambulance was played to the jury showing Ms Hand being treated and having what was described as a suspected panic attack.

Ms Hand was also seen being given a sick bag and Mr Dempsey told the court she appeared as though she was going to vomit.

The case continues tomorrow (Wednesday).

Read all the latest headlines and breaking news on our homepage.