Conor McGregor has significantly scaled back his legal battle, withdrawing a key argument in his appeal against the civil conviction for assaulting Nikita Hand.
During a hearing at the Court of Appeal, it was revealed that McGregor is abandoning a motion to introduce new evidence, acknowledging its lack of legal basis.
This withdrawn evidence concerned potential testimony from Professor Jack Crane, a former state pathologist from Northern Ireland. Crane’s testimony was intended to support sworn statements from Samantha O’Reilly and Stephen Cummins, Hand’s former neighbors, who claimed to have heard an altercation within her apartment around the time of the alleged assault in December 2018.
Mark Mulholland KC, representing McGregor, stated he was obligated to withdraw the specific appeal point because it lacked legal support.
The panel of three judges expressed their surprise at the last-minute withdrawal. Justice Isobel Kennedy described the situation as “unsatisfactory.”
John Gordon SC, representing Ms. Hand, reported being informed of the withdrawal just ten minutes prior to the appeal hearing.
He emphasized the renewed stress on his client, highlighting previous allegations of her being a liar, now effectively “conceded” by McGregor’s actions.
Gordon went further, suggesting McGregor should be investigated for potentially inducing perjury. He suggested that “an apology would be a start” towards making amends with his client.
After a brief recess, the judges determined it was pointless to allow the withdrawn appeal point to proceed since McGregor no longer intended to pursue it.
A motion concerning the legal costs associated with the withdrawal will be filed later.
The appeal will continue to address the remaining points, including the manner of Mr. McGregor’s cross-examination during the initial trial last November.
