Conor McGregor may face cross examination over Nikita Hand CCTV controversy
Mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor could face cross-examination over CCTV footage he retained following a civil rape case brought against him by Dublin hair colorist Nikita Hand. The High Court heard today that McGregor, 36, one of the world’s wealthiest athletes, had submitted an affidavit assuring that he had deleted all copies of the footage in his possession.
He also filed a separate affidavit concerning his interactions with an Italian business associate who allegedly claimed the footage would be made public. However, a lawyer representing Ms. Hand argued that more time was needed to review McGregor’s affidavits and to determine whether an application for his cross-examination should proceed.
John Gordon SC, acting on behalf of Ms. Hand and instructed by Coleman Legal, criticized McGregor’s first affidavit as “inadequate” and said the second one raised “significant further issues” regarding the fighter’s credibility.
Additionally, Ms. Hand’s legal team stated that McGregor had not complied with a specific aspect of an order issued by trial judge Mr. Justice Alexander Owens last month. However, the exact nature of the alleged non-compliance was not disclosed in court.
Remy Farrell SC, representing McGregor, did not directly respond to these claims but stated he had no objection to an adjournment. Neither McGregor nor Ms. Hand attended the brief hearing. The case is scheduled to return to court on March 6.
In November, a jury in the civil damages case ruled that McGregor had assaulted Ms. Hand at a penthouse in Dublin’s Beacon Hotel in December 2018. The jury awarded Ms. Hand, 35, nearly €250,000 in damages, and McGregor was also ordered to cover her legal costs, estimated at approximately €1.3 million.
During the trial, CCTV footage played in court became a central point of McGregor’s defense, showing Ms. Hand appearing affectionate towards McGregor’s friend James Lawrence after the alleged assault. Ms. Hand’s legal team contended that she was intoxicated and in a state of delayed shock at the time.
Last month, her lawyers sought an injunction to prevent McGregor from releasing the footage. This legal move followed a report in the Sunday Independent in which Gabriel Ernesto Rapisarda, distributor of McGregor’s Forged Stout in Italy, claimed the footage would be published and would influence public opinion about McGregor while boosting sales of his beverage brand.
Judge Owens subsequently ordered McGregor to file an affidavit confirming he had deleted the footage and to formally request that Mr. Rapisarda do the same. The judge cited a “demonstrable risk” that McGregor might share the footage with Rapisarda.
With the trial concluded, the judge stated there was no legal justification for McGregor to retain the footage. He also noted that McGregor, as a party in the case, was bound by an undertaking not to use trial evidence for any purpose beyond the proceedings.
The fallout from the verdict led several companies to sever ties with McGregor. His former whiskey brand, Proper No. Twelve, announced that he would no longer be involved in its promotions. Video game developer IO Interactive removed a McGregor-based character from its Hitman franchise. Additionally, thousands of retailers across Ireland and the UK stopped selling his Forged Irish Stout and Proper No. Twelve whiskey.
The former UFC champion further fueled controversy by posting on social media, referring to Ms. Hand as a “vicious liar” and calling the court a “kangaroo court.” Despite these statements, Judge Owens opted not to pursue contempt proceedings against him.
