McGregor accuser told friends to delete messages as she 'feared for life'

Conor McGregor denies sexually assaulting Nikita Hand in a Dublin hotel room

A woman who has accused Irish mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor of raping her has told a court she told friends and family to delete text messages because she was "in fear of her life".

Nikita Hand has taken civil action against Mr McGregor and another man, seeking damages for an alleged sex attack in a Dublin hotel in December 2018.

Mr McGregor denies the allegations and his lawyers told an earlier hearing in the case that Ms Hand is attempting extortion.

In 2020, Ireland's Director of Public Prosecutions decided not to criminally prosecute either man due to a lack of evidence and no reasonable prospect of conviction.

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

Under cross examination from Mr McGregor's lawyer, Ms Hand said she had warned close friends and family to delete messages from her detailing the alleged rape because she was paranoid.

The barrister asked if Ms Hand had told a woman, who left the Beacon Hotel in the same car as the MMA star, to delete messages.

"I probably did cause I was afraid for my life," she said.

"I don't know when I told her. I would've told her to because I told other people to as well... I deleted my messages because I didn't want to press charges because I was afraid."

Nikita Hand is claiming civil damages for an alleged sexual assault in 2018

The barrister put it to Ms Hand that she "seemed reluctant for guards (Irish police) to speak to" the other woman when she was first interviewed.

Ms Hand said in her Garda interview she was concerned because Mr McGregor had dropped the woman home and knew where she lived.

In court, Ms Hand said she was worried about her friend because she was also scared.

"I didn't want to put her in a position where she would have to say anything she didn't want to," she said.

Later it was noted that upon leaving the hotel, Ms Hand went to her manager's house to hand over salon keys.

She said she remembered she had told her manager she had been raped by Conor McGregor.

"I cant remember word for word, I was in an awful state. I know I told her I was raped, choked and had bruises," she said.

The lawyer asked: "You don't remember that you told her you woke up and two body guards came into the room and you thought you were going to be gang raped?

"And you ran off because you thought you were going to be raped by the security guard?"

Ms Hand said she did not remember because she was "all over the place".

"Everything was going through my mind. I told her I'd been brutally raped, how could anyone be correct about everything in that state of mind?

“I told her I was raped, battered and choked, the main detail. I do remember telling her it was Conor McGregor."

The barrister reminded Ms Hand of CCTV footage from the Beacon Hotel in which Mr McGregor left at about 18:00 local time.

A phone call was made from Ms Hand's phone to Mr McGregor, the barrister said, asking why she did this.

"I don't know why I rang him,” Ms Hand said.

Mr McGregor's co-defendant is Dubliner James Lawrence

She told the court the second defendant James Lawrence, from Rafters Road in Drimnagh, Dublin, had taken the phone from her and that could be seen on the CCTV footage.

During almost 20 minutes of footage, the barrister said, Mr Lawrence and Ms Hand are in the basement of the hotel and she could be seen kissing Mr Lawrence on the cheek.

The barrister said, on occasion, they also have their arms around each other.

Ms Hand said she had no recollection of this period.

"It's not me, its not my character, you can see how vulnerable I was, I'm stumbling, I don't want to have to look at it again. It's very disturbing for me," she said.

Mr McGregor’s barrister said the CCTV footage “contradicts the story you've told".

Breaking down, Ms Hand said she did not agree.

"That CCTV footage doesn't take away what happened to me in that room with Conor.

"I was brutally raped and battered, that CCTV does not take away what happened to me."

The case continues.