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Court heard claim masked men broke into home of woman in McGregor case

Irish police said an incident of aggravated burglary was reported on June 14.

Rebecca Black
Friday 22 November 2024 17:26 EST
Nikita Hand, who is also known as Nikita Ni Laimhin, leaves the High Court in Dublin (Brian Lawless/PA)
Nikita Hand, who is also known as Nikita Ni Laimhin, leaves the High Court in Dublin (Brian Lawless/PA) (PA Wire)

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A gang of masked men broke into the home of a woman who took a civil case against mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor accusing him of raping her, the court heard.

Nikita Hand was awarded damages of almost 250,000 euros (Ā£206,000) following a civil case heard by a jury at the High Court in Dublin on Friday.

The incident was referred to at the start of the trial when the jury was not present, and the court heard masked men had broken into Ms Handā€™s home, smashed the windows and stabbed her boyfriend.

Ms Handā€™s counsel John Gordon told Judge Alexander Owens that the incident happened on June 14.

ā€œThe plaintiffā€™s home was invaded by a group of men wearing balaclavas,ā€ he said.

ā€œThe broke into the plaintiffā€™s bedroom, and were driven out by the plaintiffā€™s partner, who suffered a stab wound in the process. Her daughter was in the next room, sleeping.ā€

Mr Gordon also told the court that the men broke windows in the front room before leaving.

ā€œWe are not laying that at the feet of the defendants or saying they have anything to do with that,ā€ he added.

ā€œWe do make the claim that it was not an untargeted attack, (it) rose from supporters of the first named defendant (Mr McGregor).

ā€œIt is related to the claim that she had to move out of the Drimnagh area.ā€

The judge asked whether the claim was being made that McGregor had anything to do with it, to which Mr Gordon replied: ā€œNo, judge, it is an item of special damage.

ā€œIt related to her state of anxiety and her claim that she had to move from the Drimnagh area, as she has now done.ā€

Mr McGregorā€™s barrister Remy Farrell said it seemed Ms Hand was introducing a claim ā€œwhich is nothing to do with usā€, and complained it would be ā€œan invitation to the jury to speculateā€.

The judge ruled that he considered it to be ā€œcompletely irrelevant and shouldnā€™t be referred toā€.

At the close of the case it was agreed by Ms Handā€™s counsel and the judge that the claim would not be made for the house move.

A Garda spokesperson said: ā€œGardaĆ­ received report of an incident of aggravated burglary that occurred at a premises on the Errigal Road in Drimnagh, Dublin 12 at approximately 2.20am on Friday, June 14 2024.

ā€œOne man aged in his 30s was conveyed to St Jamesā€™s Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries sustained as a result of this incident.

ā€œInvestigations are ongoing.ā€

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