UFC star Conor McGregor found guilty of assault

UFC fighter Conor McGregor has been found guilty of assaulting a woman in December 2018.

The Irish celebrity was ordered to pay the victim, who had accused McGregor of raping her, €248,000 in damages. 

The victim, Nikita Hand, stated that the ruling serves as “a reminder that no matter how afraid you might be to speak up, you have a voice.”

McGregor stated that he plans to appeal the verdict.

Hand had also accused another man of assault, however the jury said he was not guilty.

The Dublin court had heard that the victim and her friend went to a hotel penthouse with McGregor and the other defendant, James Lawrence. Hand said that the UFC fighter had pinned her to a bed and assaulted her, leaving bruises on her wrists and body.

She further said that McGregor had placed her in a chokehold, however his defence retorted, saying that the bruising could have been the result of her jumping into a bath in the hotel room during a night of heavy drinking and cocaine use. 

The following morning, Hand was taken to hospital, and the incident severely affected her mental health during the following months.