How the last day of the Nikita Hand case unfolded

On Friday, Nikita Hand, a woman who accused mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Conor McGregor of raping her, won her claim against him for damages in a civil case.

He was ordered to pay her almost €250,000 (£208,000).

BBC News NI was in the packed courtroom when the jury, who had deliberated for a day, delivered their verdicts.

The small courtroom at Dublin’s High Court was filled with tension as the jury filed back in.

Conor McGregor and Nikita Hand were seated relatively close to each towards the back of the courtroom.

Close, but worlds apart.

A momentous decision awaited these two people almost six years after they spent time together in a Dublin hotel, on 9 December 2018.

Nikita Hand claimed she was rapped by the MMA star that day. He claimed they had “fully-consensual sex.”

When the case summarized on Friday morning, Nikita Hand sat at one end of a wooden bench towards the back of the courtroom, her partner Gary at her side.

A row of chairs had been placed behind the bench to accommodate other participants.

McGregor sat on one of the chairs, at the opposite end of the bench.

His fiancée, Dee Devlin, accompanied him to the case for the first time and they sat together.

He was also joined by his parents as well as a small group of supporters who stood immediately behind him in the back corner of the courtroom.

While the judge addressed the jury at the beginning of proceedings in the morning, Conor McGregor fixed his gaze on them.

Once the jury left the courtroom to return to their deliberations, he got up and stood chatting with his supporters, occasionally walking in and out of the courtroom, sipping from a water bottle, exhaling slow puffs of breath at times, and occasionally humming briefly.

Later in the day, the court was told the jury wanted to continue until 18:00 local time.

More uncertainty, and waiting.

Then, late in the afternoon, word suddenly spread about a breakthrough – the jury was about to return with verdicts.

McGregor returned with even more supporters around him this time, and the back of the courtroom was packed.

A court official, eventually, had to ask some of the people who were standing at the back to leave and go to the upstairs public gallery.

As the jury filed back into the courtroom, both Ms Hand and McGregor appeared to be emotional.

Before addressing the jury, the judge said he wanted “calm” for the verdicts and warned that “anyone who makes a scene will find themselves in jail.”

The jury of eight women and four men had deliberated for six hours and ten minutes and now, on the 12th day of the case, they were about to answer two questions about two men.

Did Conor McGregor assault Nikita Hand?

They responded “yes”.

Did James Lawrence assault Nikita Hand?

The jury said “no.”

The court remained quiet.

Then, details of damages awarded against Conor McGregor were announced.

There was a bit of back and forth before the judge finally clarified that the total damages amounted to almost €250,000.

With that, the case was over.

People started making their way out of the courtroom and the media rushed outside to prepare to relay this news to a global audience.

After a short time, McGregor emerged from the court, surrounded by his family and supporters, and followed by the media every step of the way along the front of the High Court to a waiting car.

Reporters shouted repeated questions about the outcome of the case and its future.

McGregor said nothing, and he was quickly ushered into a waiting car and driven off against the backdrop of clicking cameras and flashing camera lights.

Later, he announced on social media that he plans to appeal the decision.

Shortly after McGregor left, Ms Hand came walking towards the waiting media, surrounded by her legal team and her boyfriend.

She repeatedly read a statement in which she thanked her partner, her daughter, her family and everyone who sent her messages of support.

When she finished her statement and as she prepared to turn away, I asked her to describe the past two weeks.

“A nightmare,” she replied.