Watching Nikita Hand address crowds outside the court where a jury had just ruled in favour of her case against Conor McGregor, provided an emotional ending to a long and harrowing six years.
As crowds swarm around her, she holds a piece of paper, reading out her speech while gripping intently and visibly shaking. Her voice wavers between unimaginable relief and emotional exhaustion, as she delivers her powerful words.
Nikita Hand, also known as Nikita Ní Laimhín, had just won her legal battle against Irish MMA fighter Conor McGregor, in a civil court case where a jury found him guilty of sexually assaulting Her in 2018.
As she thanked her family, legal team, and a staff member from a rape crisis centre who’d supported her during the trial, Hand expressed her gratitude for everyone who had reached out with words of encouragement and solidarity, “it hasn’t gone unnoticed.”
Continuing on, she said “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.”
The court had previously heard eight days of evidence and three days of closing speeches, before the jury of eight women and four men deliberated for six hours and ten minutes prior to returning with their verdict.
That, added onto the eight years between when the assault took place and when justice was served, would have felt like a lifetime for Hand.
The courage she showed after the judgement was passed down was only a small reflection of the resilience and bravery she displayed during the trial, where the mother-of-one described being held in a “chokehold” by McGregor, as he pinned her down before assaulting her. Hand expressed her level of fear at the time of the assault, telling the court that she thought she was going to die, and that she might never see her daughter again.
A paramedic who treated Hand after the assault described not having come across “someone so bruised” in a long time, when referring to the aftermath of the assault.
But despite all this, Hand’s determination and will to seek justice resulted in a triumph for not only her, but for victim survivors everywhere. A detail that was not lost on Hand.
“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, but my daughter’s, my family and friends tremendously and it’s something that I’ll never forget for the rest of my life and now that justice has been served I can now try and move on and look forward to my future with my family, friends and daughter.”
McGregor has been ordered to pay nearly 250,000 Euro in damages and has since released a statement to say he will be appealing the decision.
This article originally appeared on Marie Claire Australia and is republished here with permission.
