“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. 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, my daughter’s, my family and friends tremendously. And it’s something I will never forget for the rest of my life.”
Nikita Hand barely got through her statement outside the court in Dublin that had just ruled, in a civil trial, in favour of her claim that the MMA fighter Conor McGregor had sexually assaulted her in 2018.
It was a reminder of the barriers faced by women who are victims of violence like this. The strength and determination shown by Hand must have been extraordinary to even report the assault in the first place, never mind pursue it to this point. Hand said she felt “let down” by the Irish public prosecutors, who didn’t pursue a criminal claim against McGregor.
The court was told that McGregor pinned down Hand and put her in a “chokehold” as he assaulted her, that the paramedic who treated her said they had not seen “someone so bruised” in a long time, after she…
