Conor McGregor is thought to be planning to move out of Ireland after losing the civil sexual assault case against him.
The UFC star could soon relocate to the US following the case brought by Nikita Hand accusing him of rape.
McGregor was ordered to pay more than £200,000 in damages in November to Ms Hand who sued him in a civil court.
Sources have claimed McGregor is planning a move back to the US with his family as the aftermath of the case has impacted his business interests.
Ms Hand accused the 36-year-old of ‘brutally’ raping and battering her in a Dublin hotel in 2018. She told jurors during the High Court case she allegedly was pinned down and ‘choked’ by McGregor, making her think she was ‘going to die.’
Just hours after the accusations, McGregor’s partner and mother of their children Dee Devlin posted on social media in his defence, saying that the family ‘stands strong’ and taking aim at Ms Hand.
Ms Devlin said that her sons ‘will be warned women like you exist in the world.’
Following the case, retailers in the UK and Ireland said they will stop selling alcoholic drinks with links to McGregor while a video game developer decided to axe content featuring him.
One source told Belfast Live: ‘Conor has been completely rattled by the devastating fallout as a result of losing the civil case. He is going to appeal the verdict to clear his name. He is genuinely very upset by it all and the manner in which he feels he has been betrayed.
‘But the commercial damage in Britain and Ireland has been massive with retailers refusing to sell his stout and Proper No 12 whiskey.
‘However the court case has not been as damaging commercially in the United States where most of his fans are standing by him. He wants out of Ireland for the moment and to move back to the States.’
McGregor – whose net worth is estimated to be around £160,000,000 – owns an apartment in Las Vegas, Nevada.
However, the family are thought to prefer Florida for their fresh start, according to the outlet.
McGregor has maintained that he and Ms Hand had consensual sex which he described as ‘vigorous, athletic, physical and prolonged’ consensual sex that was ‘not rough.’
He said he plans to appeal the verdict.
An advanced paramedic with 16 years of experience in the field who saw Ms Hand’s injuries said she hadn’t seen ‘somebody so bruised in all my time.’
He posted on social media following the verdict: ‘I know I made mistakes. Six years ago, I should have never responded to her outreaches.
‘I should have shut the party down. I should never have stepped out on the woman I love the most in the world. That’s all on me. As much as I regret it, everything that happened that night was consensual and all the witnesses present swore to that under oath.’
Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald weighed in on the case after the verdict, saying it would be ‘helpful’ for the Director of Public Prosecutions to clarify why Ms Hand’s allegation was not taken to a criminal trial.
During the McGregor case, calls to the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre surged, according to RTE. The centre’s chief executive Rachel Morrogh said calls increased by 17% in the first ten days of the trial and contact by first-time callers rose by 50%.
Ms Hand said she hoped her case would remind victims of assault to keep ‘pushing forward for justice’ and to remind survivors to speak up ‘no matter how afraid you might be.’
What to do if you’ve been raped
If you have been the victim of rape, either recently or historically, and are looking for help, support is out there.
- If you have recently been raped and you are still at risk, ring 999 and ask for the police. Otherwise, the first step is to go somewhere you are safe.
- If you want to report your rape to the police, ring 999 or the police non-emergency line on 101. An Independent Sexual Violence Advocate (ISVA) will often be on hand to help you through reporting and even after you have made a statement, you can still decide to withdraw from the criminal justice process at any time.
- If you plan on going to the police, if possible, do not wash your clothes or shower, bathe or brush your teeth. If you do get changed, keep the clothes you were wearing in a plastic bag. These steps will help to preserve any DNA evidence your attacker may have left on your body or clothes.
- If you don’t want to contact the police, Rape Crisis suggest talking to someone you trust about what has happened; or you can ring one of the UK’s many rape and sexual assault helplines.
- Anyone aged 16+ can contact Rape Crisis’s 24/7 Support Line by calling 0808 500 2222 or starting an online chat.
- If you have been injured, you’re best advised to go to your nearest A&E to seek medical treatment. If you are uninjured, you can go to your nearest Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC). The NHS has information on where to find your nearest centre here.
- If your rape is historic, you can still access support, including from the police – there is no time limit on reporting and your account can still be used as evidence.
Read more here.
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