A woman who was in a hotel suite on the day Nikita Hand alleged she was raped by Conor McGregor has told a High Court jury she did not notice anything had happened.
Danielle Kealey said she saw Ms Hand go into an interconnecting room of the Beacon hotel penthouse suite with Mr McGregor on December 9th, 2018 after the two women and another man, James Lawrence, had come to the hotel together. She did not know what was happening in there, she said.
She said Ms Hand came back out and âeverything was fineâ. She thought this was just before she, Ms Kealey, left the hotel.
âEverything was fine, no one was in bad form or anything, I didnât notice anything had happened,â she told Remy Farrell SC, for Mr McGregor.
She said she did not notice any physical marks or injuries on anybody and did not see any bite mark on Mr McGregorâs face or bruises on his hand.
She had sex with Mr Lawrence in the sitting room of the suite and had used condoms, she told counsel.
She said her phone was broken and she has asked Mr McGregor could she leave with him because she knew he lived in Kildare near her.
Mr McGregor did not say yes at first but then she asked his driver, she said. Ms Hand and Mr Lawrence were to go in another car used by Mr McGregorâs security staff.
All four went down from the suite in a lift and she said goodbye to Ms Hand and gave her a hug, Ms Kealey said.
Ms Hand did not want people to leave and wanted everyone to stay in the hotel, she said.
She got a message via Instagram from Ms Hand later saying that she had been raped.
âI was surprised because I didnât see anything.â Ms Hand told her to delete that chat, she said.
Ms Hand phoned her when she was in the Rotunda sexual assault unit, which the jury has heard was on December 10th 2018, and told her she was raped. Ms Kealey said she told her she did not see anything.
Earlier, she said she knew Ms Hand but not well. They worked for two different hair salons owned by the same people, and had attended their work Christmas party on December 8th, 2018 and continued the party in the hair salon into the morning of December 9th.
The name Conor McGregor was not mentioned until they were in the salon after being at the Goat pub, she said.
She believed Ms Hand was chatting to Mr McGregor on Instagram and he collected them on the morning of December 9th from the salon. They drove around in his car and collected Mr Lawrence before going to the Beacon hotel.
Ms Kealey has begun her evidence on the fifth day of the civil action by Ms Hand (35), a hair colourist, against Mr McGregor and James Lawrence, of Rafters Road, Drimnagh. Ms Hand is seeking damages for alleged separate sexual assaults of her by both men in Dublinâs Beacon Hotel on December 9th, 2018.
Both respondents have denied her claims.
Evidence on behalf of Ms Hand concluded this morning after which Ms Kealey was the first witness called by the defence.
The jury has heard Ms Hand drank alcohol and took cocaine while at her Christmas work party on the night of December 8th, 2018 and continued partying into December 9th. CCTV footage showed Ms Hand, Ms Kealey, Mr McGregor and Mr Lawrence arriving at the Beacon hotel about 12.30pm, Mr McGregor leaving with her friend around 6.13pm, and Ms Hand and Mr Lawrence leaving around 10.30pm.
Ms Kealeyâs evidence is continuing.
