Mary Lou McDonaldGetty
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has called on the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to explain why it was decided not to prosecute Conor McGregor.
Referring to Nikita Hand’s victory in her civil case against the MMA fighter, Mary Lou McDonald said the women of Ireland have to know that "when a violent rape is carried out… that the system takes that really seriously".
CSO figures published this week showed that just one in every five sexual assault cases reported to gardaí resulted in a prosecution.
Last week, the High Court ruled in favor of Ms Hand, who accused McGregor of raping her in a Dublin hotel in December 2018, with McGregor ordered to pay €240,000 in damages.
Public scrutiny has since turned to the office of the DPP which, in 2020, told Hand there was "insufficient evidence" to bring a criminal case.
McDonald on Thursday urged the DPP to make a statement on the matter, saying women must know rape is a "very, very serious crime".
She said: "We’ve had incidents like this before where the DPP hasn’t brought a case, and it’s caused real anxiety. I think there needs to be real clarity as to why that decision was taken."
* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.