Man and woman due in court over perjury investigation linked to Conor McGregor case
Two people being investigated after allegations of perjury connected to Conor McGregor ’s appeal attempt over the verdict in a civil action by Nikita Hand against the MMA fighter have been arrested and charged. The suspects, a man and woman from Dublin, have been under investigation by detectives from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI), the Garda’s serious crimes squad, since last year. Garda Headquarters said on Tuesday morning a file on the case had been submitted to the DPP, which had directed two people should face charges. It added Garda members attached to the NBCI had “arrested and charged a male and a female in connection with this investigation”, adding they were due to appear before Dublin District Court on Tuesday morning. The couple had come forward, unsolicited, and volunteered to give fresh evidence stating Hand had been assaulted at her home hours after her encounter with McGregor, who Hand said raped her at the Beacon Hotel, Sandyford, south Dublin, in 2018. Hand won a civil case, before a High Court jury, against the fighter and was awarded €250,000 damages and got her legal costs against McGregor, who then decided to appeal the verdict. McGregor had claimed the fresh evidence came into his possession after the civil case which provided a “plausible” explanation for bruising on Hand’s body. The material involved sworn claims by a former near neighbour of Hand in Drimnagh, that, from a bedroom in her home, she observed a physical row between Hand and her then partner, Stephen Redmond. It was claimed this assault at their home took place within hours of the encounter between Hand and McGregor in the Dublin hotel. In a responding affidavit, Hand described the claims by the couple that they heard screaming from Hand’s home on the night of December 9th/10th 2018, as “lies”. She said Redmond never assaulted her at any time in their relationship. On the day the appeal was due to get underway in July, 2025, the fresh evidence was withdrawn. The matter was referred by the Court of Appeal to the DPP for review. Once examined by the DPP’s office, the allegations were sent to the Garda for investigation, resulting in the charges now being pursued. The couple detained on Tuesday morning, ahead of their scheduled court appearance, had previously been arrested, 12 months ago, as part of the investigation.