Irish mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor sexually assaulted a woman in 2018 and was ordered to pay her €248,000 ($400,000) in damages, a jury has found in a civil case.

Nikita Hand claimed McGregor, one of the world’s highest-paid athletes, raped her in a Dublin hotel room in December 2018.

Ms Hand said she and a friend made contact with McGregor, who she knew, after a work Christmas party.

She said they were driven by McGregor to a party at a south Dublin hotel penthouse where drugs and alcohol were used.

The verdict was returned following a two-week civil trial in the High Court of Ireland, by a jury of eight women and four men.

They made their decision after a little more than six hours of deliberations.

Following the verdict, McGregor left the court without comment.

Ms Hand also alleged that a second man, James Lawrence, had attacked her. The jury found that Mr Lawrence did not assault her.

Victim urges others to ‘speak up’

McGregor, 36, has repeatedly denied the allegations and claimed he had “completely consensual sex” with Ms Hand.

She alleged that McGregor took her to a room in the penthouse and sexually assaulted her.

Ms Hand’s lawyer John Gordon said she was taking antidepressants and “full of drugs” at the time of the alleged assault.

The court also heard that when she was referred to a sexual assault unit the day after the alleged assault, a doctor was so concerned he ordered photographs of her injuries to be taken.

McGregor denied being responsible for the bruising.

Ms. Hand then reported the incident to the police, but prosecutors declined to press charges, citing insufficient evidence and an unlikely chance of securing a conviction.

Speaking outside court, Ms Hand said she was overwhelmed by the support she had received and felt vindicated.

The now-retired MMA star earned $180 million in 2021, making him the highest-paid athlete in the world in 2021, according to Forbes.

Reuters