A jury in a High Court civil case today ruled that mixed martial artist Conor McGregor assaulted Nikita Hand.
The jury ruled that McGregor was liable to pay €248,603 in damages to Ms Hand: €60,000 in general damages and €188,603 in special damages.
Ms Hand had accused of McGregor of raping her in a Dublin hotel in 2018.
McGregor said he would appeal the ruling, and called the award "modest" in a statement on Twitter this evening.
The jury found that co-defendant James Lawrence did not assault Ms Hand.
After the ruling, an emotional Ms Hand addressed the media with the following statement outside the Four Courts.
I would like to start off by saying I'm overwhelmed and touched by the support I have received from everybody.
"First, I want to thank the legal team and my three barristers, John Gordon, Ray Boland and Sean. They have been amazing from start to finish. I want to thank Mr Justice Alexander Owens, the jury, all the witnesses, I want to thank the doctors, nurses and everyone at the sexual assault treatment unit in the Rotunda Hospital for looking after me, especially my own doctor Frank Clarke.
"I want to thank the Rape Crisis Centre, especially Cliona, who has been by my side throughout this entire period. I want to thank all the guards and the ambulance crew. I want to thank all the women and men out there who have supported me throughout this trial.
"For every person who reached out to me a card, a letter, e-mail, everything, it hasn't gone unnoticed. Thank you. I really appreciate it so much.
"I want to thank my partner Gary, who has been so supportive for the last four years and has held my hand throughout his trial every day and every other day.
"I want to thank my mam and all my family and friends. Lastly, I want to thank my daughter Freya, who I'm most grateful for. She has given me so much strength and courage over the last six years throughout this nightmare to keep on pushing forward for justice.
"I want to show Freya and every other girl and boy that you can stand up for yourself. If something happens to you, no matter who the person is and justice will be served. To all the victims of sexual assault. I hope my story is a reminder that no matter how afraid you might be, speak up. You have a voice and keep on fighting for justice.
"I know this has impacted not only my life, my daughter's, my family and friends tremendously, and it's something that will I'll never forget for the rest of my life. But now that justice has been served, I can now try and move on and look forward to the future with my family and friends and daughter."
After the ruling the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre issued a statement in solidarity with Ms Hand.
Dublin Rape Crisis Centre has seen the profound effect the case has had on the community of people we support. Over the first 10 days of the trial, calls to the National Rape Crisis Helpline increased by almost 20%, with first-time callers increasing by 50% compared to the same period last year. These calls were largely from people who had experienced sexual violence themselves and who expressed distress and anxiety around details of the case and the views of people around them.
