November 12, 2024: Conor McGregor at the High Court in Dublin.RollingNews.ie
Conor McGregor has slammed "blackmailers" in a new rant on social media after he was found liable in a civil rape trial.
It emerged last week that McGregor, a former UFC champion, would have to pay Nikita Hand’s legal costs after he was found liable for assaulting her in a Dublin hotel room in 2018.
He must also pay nearly €250,000 in damages to Ms. Hand. McGregor’s co-accused, James Lawrence, was found not liable for raping Ms. Hand.
Following reports that US rapper Jay-Z was accused of raping a 13-year-old girl alongside disgraced music mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in 2000, McGregor shared a clip of radio host Charlamagne believing that the accusations against Jay-Z were false - telling the rapper to "never settle with blackmailers."
In a now-deleted post on his Instagram story, McGregor shared the clip and wrote "never settle with blackmailers! EVER."
He also shared posts to his story saying "who gives a f**k about the fake press," and "fight, fight, fight" - a reference to Donald Trump’s rallying cry after he survived an assassination attempt at a rally earlier this year.
Conor McGregor's Instagram stories.
McGregor made several posts against Ms. Hand and the trial’s verdict immediately following the outcome of the trial, calling Ms. Hand "a vicious liar," saying that the trial was part of a "kangaroo court" and targeting journalists following the trial’s outcome.
November 22, 2024: Nikita Hand at the High Court in Dublin. (RollingNews.ie)
Judge Alexander Owens added that he may hold McGregor in contempt of court following the now-deleted tweets, saying in the hearing surrounding costs "I want to begin to institute proceedings of my own against McGregor. It may potentially result in a finding of contempt of court, and may result in a fine. Given Mr. McGregor is a rich man he can well afford to pay a fine."
He added it was important that there were rules for such matters, and that there was a tendency to let such comments pass "and allow people to say anything they want."
November 21, 2024: Justice Alexander Owens at the High Court in Dublin. (RollingNews.ie)
The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre said on Thursday it warmly welcomed the decision to award costs in favour of Ms. Hand in her case against McGregor.
"This decision will reinforce the public’s belief that justice has been done in this case," Rachel Morrogh, DRCC chief executive, said.
"Although for Nikita Hand, this case was always about the verdict, it was also important that both symbolically and financially, justice didn’t give with one hand and take away with the other."
Ms. Morrogh continued: "We thank her for her bravery in highlighting the issues that face victims and survivors of sexual violence. We hope that blaming, shaming and discrediting victims will become something of the past and that this trial marks a turning point where survivors can hope for a better experience through the court process."
*This article was originally published on Extra.ie.