A woman claiming that UFC star Conor McGregor “brutally raped and battered” her at a Dublin hotel penthouse was awarded nearly 250,000 Euros ($257,000) by a civil court in Ireland on Friday.
The 12-member jury (eight women, four men) deliberated for six hours before finding McGregor liable for sexual assault based on the allegations stemming from an encounter involving the plaintiff and McGregor on December 9, 2018.
McGregor shook his head as the decision was announced. Throughout the trial, the former UFC champ claimed he never raped his accuser. Instead, he claimed, the two had consensual sex, and the rape allegations only emerged afterward.
The accuser’s attorney, John Gordon, harshly denounced McGregor as a belligerent fighter who sought to take out his anger over a loss in the Octagon on his client.
“He’s not a man, he’s a coward,” Gordon told the jury. “A devious coward, and you should treat him for what he is.”
The woman claimed in emotional testimony that McGregor specifically referenced a loss in the ring while choking her and threatening to kill her.
“Now you know how I felt in the octagon where I tapped out three times,” the woman claimed McGregor told her.
“He let me go, and I remember saying I was sorry, as I felt that I did something wrong, and I wanted to reassure him that I wouldn’t tell anyone so he wouldn’t hurt me again,” she said.
The woman claims she then let McGregor do what he wanted to her, and they had sex.
Police investigated the incident but declined to bring charges due to insufficient evidence.
McGregor admitted to having sex with the woman but denied she ever told him to stop.
“It is a full-blown lie among many lies,” the Irish fighter said when asked about the chokehold allegation. “How anyone could believe that me, as a prideful person, would highlight my shortcomings.”
McGregor’s attorney sought to sway jurors from any ill feelings they may hold towards his client.
“You may have an active dislike of him, some of you may even loathe him – there is no point pretending that the situation might be otherwise,” said attorney Remy Farrell. “I’m not asking you to invite him to Sunday brunch.”
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