Jury told it does not matter if they 'loathe' McGregor

Mr McGregor and James Lawrence deny the allegations made by Nikita Hand

The jury in the Conor McGregor trial have been told it does not matter if they "loathe" him.

Remy Farrell SC, representing the Irish mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, began his closing argument at Dublin High Court on Tuesday.

Dublin woman Nikita Hand has accused the sportsman of rape after a Christmas night out in December 2018. He denies all allegations.

The trial is a civil case in Dublin High Court after the Director of Public Prosecutions in Ireland refused to charge Mr McGregor criminally.

'What is important is the evidence'

Mr Farrell told the jury that "what is important is the evidence".

"The case is not about a hot take, or what colour writers in newspapers say its about, it doesn't get reduced to one soundbite, it's about evidence and nothing but the evidence," he said.

He told the jury that their opinions on Mr McGregor did not matter.

Mr Farrell claims Ms Hand's allegations varied

"You may not like Mr McGregor. Mr McGregor is somebody who is hard to avoid, who elicits strong views, some people love him, some people very much do not," he said.

"He's not backwards about coming forwards with his own opinion about various things.

"It may be the case some, a lot, most of you, have negative views about Mr McGregor, some of you may even loathe him, there's no point pretending it may be otherwise. It's important I address that."

'A forceful personality'

The Irish sportsman claims he had consensual sex with Ms Hand twice in the Beacon Hotel in Dublin.

He also claimed in court that Ms Hand had sex with his associate and co-defendant James Lawrence. Ms Hand says she never had sex with Mr Lawrence.

The eight men and four women on the jury have sat through eight days of evidence, including Ms Hand, Mr McGregor and Mr Lawrence as well as doctors and two paramedics.

Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Farrell said his client had a "a forceful personality" and listed things Mr McGregor said or did in court that the jury may not have liked.

He referenced that there was a sharp intake of breath from the jury when Mr McGregor referred to Ms Hand and her friend as "two lovely ladies" on the stand during his testimony.

Mr Lawrence claims he had consensual sex with Ms Hand twice in the Beacon Hotel in Dublin

"You may also be unimpressed with a man who leaves his family home on Saturday, goes drinking with women in hotel penthouses... they're all unlikely to endear him to you," he added.

"I'm not asking you to like him, I'm asking you to look at the evidence.

"I'm not asking you to invite him to Sunday lunch, but to interrogate your own views."

Mr Farrell said the CCTV evidence from the Beacon Hotel was irrefutable and claimed Ms Hand's allegations varied and that she "invented" an account when speaking to her friend Eimear Brennan.

Ms Hand also sought to "airbrush" witness Danielle Kealy out of the situation, he alleged.

"Ms Hand knew full well the account she was giving made no sense if Danielle Kealy was there," he said, adding it was "an elaborate fabrication".

'You're being sold a pup'

In their closing statement, Nikita Hand's legal team said that Mr McGregor is an "arrogant" "cowardly" man who "savagely" beat Ms Hand.

John Gordon SC told the jury that Mr McGregor had lied throughout the trial about what happened between him and Ms Hand.

He added that he and his co-defendant James Lawrence sought to make Ms Hand look like a "hussy" and colluded together to do so.

"You're being sold a pup by this arrogant man," he said.

"Mr McGregor, far from dealing with it, has run away from it. There is no answer to his appalling behaviour.

"What should he have done if he was a man at all is to apologise to my client for what he did to her, he's not a man, he's a coward, a devious coward and you should treat him for what he is."

Mr Gordon added that paramedics, psychologists and doctors have all supported Ms Hand's version of events.

This includes that she continues to suffer from PTSD and that a tampon was lodged inside her vagina that had to be removed by forceps.

In a Republic of Ireland civil action - as opposed to a criminal case - neither the complainant nor the accused are entitled to automatic anonymity during the court proceedings.