A woman who accused Irish mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor of raping her has told a court she thought she would never see her young daughter again when the MMA star was “strangling” her.
Nikita Ni Laimhin, also known as Nikita Hand, is seeking civil damages against McGregor and another man, alleging she was sexually assaulted in December 2018.
Ni Laimhin accused McGregor of pinning her to a bed and raping her in a Dublin hotel.
On her second day of giving evidence at the High Court in Dublin, she said that as she was attacked she “froze and couldn’t move or breathe”.
Ms Ni Laimhin collapsed several times while testifying and sought a series of breaks.
Conor McGregor outside the High Court in Dublin on November 6
Plaintiff Nikita Ni Laimhin (pictured) outside the High Court on Wednesday, November 6.
Mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor’s co-accused, James Lawrence, arrives at the High Court in Dublin on November 6.
The court heard that Ms Ni Laimhin had to leave her job as a hairdresser and has not been able to work since due to her mental health, as her relationship with her partner ended months after the alleged incident, she had to move out of her home. in Drimnagh, and his mortgage is now in arrears.
He also told the court he had to stop seeing a counselor because he could no longer afford the sessions.
The court also heard he had spent more than €4,000 on GP, pharmacy and psychotherapist fees.
The mother-of-one was left with large bruises and abrasions all over her body, including purple and blue bruises on her hands and wrists, a bloody scratch on her chest and tenderness on her neck after she was placed in a chokehold. by Mr McGregor, the court was told.
The court previously heard that McGregor’s lawyers will say what happened between him and Ni Laimhin, who has no automatic right to anonymity, was consensual.
Ni Laimhin had been at the hotel with McGregor, second defendant James Lawrence, her friend and several of the MMA star’s security guards in December 2018.
Nikita Ni Laimhin, also known as Nikita Hand, at the High Court in Dublin on November 6.
Mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor with his father Tony McGregor (left)
Conor McGregor was seen arriving at court on Tuesday for a civil assault claim stemming from an alleged rape in a Dublin hotel in 2018.
Nikita Ni Laimhin (centre) outside the High Court in Dublin on Tuesday, where mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor appears in a personal injury case against him.
A spokesperson for McGregor at the time claimed it was a “rumour” and “absolutely false”.
The woman who made the claim said the incident occurred at the Beacon Hotel in Dublin.
Nikita Ni Laimhin (left) outside the High Court in Dublin on Tuesday, where mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor appears in a personal injury case against him.
Responding to questions from John Gordon SC, her defense lawyer, Ms Ni Laimhin said she was “disappointed and upset” that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) decided not to prosecute both accused after she lodged a complaint. before the Irish police.
In a letter sent to Ms Ni Laimhin in August 2020, the Public Prosecution Service said there was “insufficient evidence” and no reasonable prospect of conviction.
Ms Ni Laimhin asked the Public Prosecutor’s Office to review the decision, saying she felt she was being treated differently because one of the suspects was a famous person.
On the second day of her testimony, Ms Ni Laimhin struggled as she described how Mr McGregor had pinned her to the hotel bed and pressed his entire body on top of her.
Visibly shaking, she apologized to the court, saying she was upset.
She said McGregor’s body weight was on top of her and she couldn’t breathe.
She said she had raised both hands and was trying to get away from him, but the more she struggled, the more he seemed to like her.
“I’m doing the best I can, I’m very sorry,” he told the court.
Former UFC champion arrives in Superior Court on Tuesday
The trial is expected to last two weeks and the judge has asked the jury to be available for three weeks.
‘The only thing I could move was my head. I bit it but I don’t remember where. He didn’t like it, so he turned me around, put his arm around my neck and strangled me.
He added: ‘I’m really struggling with this. I’m sorry.’
After a break, she told the court that she had been standing against the bed and that McGregor had tried to approach her.
She said he told her he “wasn’t there for that.”
“He pinned me against the bed and I held my hands on my chest and he put his entire body weight on top of me and I couldn’t breathe,” she said.
‘The only thing I could move was my head and I bit him and did my best to get away from him. I tried to push him, wiggle him and do everything I could.
‘I remember biting really hard and then his arms went around me and suffocated me.
“He was trying to fight as much as he could. He put his arm around my neck and choked me three times.
“I froze and couldn’t move or breathe and I kept looking at the bedpost and thinking about my daughter.
‘I kept thinking I would die and never see my daughter again.
‘He let me go and I remember saying I was sorry, because I felt like I had done something wrong and I wanted to reassure him that I wouldn’t tell anyone so he wouldn’t hurt me again.
‘Then he said that’s how he felt when he was in the octagon and he had to tap three times. I thought that was a very strange thing to say.
“I promised I wouldn’t tell anyone anything.
Then I just let him do whatever was necessary for me to survive. My mind was completely gone and I was no longer myself.
Nikita Ni Laimhin claims civil damages against McGregor and another man
McGregor has been in a relationship with Dee Devlin since 2008. They have four children.
Conor McGregor (second right) with his father Tony McGregor (second left) outside the High Court in Dublin on November 6.
“He was very aggressive and would pull on my clothes and push my head down to do things and I kept throwing my head back.
“He was trying to push my head towards his penis, but I pushed my head back.
‘He was pulling down my clothes. Then he raped me. I felt like this was happening for years.’
He paused to add, “I’m finding it very difficult.” I’m sorry.’
Mrs Ni Laimhin continued: “Then it’s over. It was already done.
‘When he was raping me I was completely paralyzed. I didn’t feel anything. “I was completely frozen.”
She said she fell asleep in the bed in the hotel room and woke up later.
She said the entire group had left the hotel room, and Mr. McGregor left with his friend, but she returned to the room with Mr. Lawrence, where she saw the bruises on his body and collapsed.
She told the court she told Mr Lawrence: “You all turn a blind eye to what Conor does to women.”
She showed him the bruises on her body, to which she says he told her, “I can’t believe you were in that room and I was here while that was happening to you.”
Ni Laimhin said she was shocked when she learned that Lawrence had claimed the two had consensual sex in the hotel room.
She told the court she thought he was being nice to her and looking out for her.
The case continues.