Pair who gave favorable testimony face charges after appeal unravels

Conor McGregor appears in court in 2018. [Getty Images]
Conor McGregor appears in court in 2018. [Getty Images]

Two witnesses who submitted new evidence during the appeal of Conor McGregor's civil rape case have been indicted on perjury-related charges.

Samantha O'Reilly, 38, and Stephen Cummins, 39, appeared at a Dublin court Tuesday (local time) and were indicted on the charges, according to Irish media. Both were released on bail and are due back in court Nov. 9.

The case stems from McGregor's appeal of a civil judgment in favor of Nikita Hand. A Dublin High Court jury found in November 2024 that McGregor had sexually assaulted Hand at a hotel in December 2018 and ordered him to pay 248,000 euros ($282,000) in damages. McGregor has maintained the encounter was consensual.

During the appeal, McGregor's legal team submitted statements from O'Reilly and Cummins — Hand's former neighbors — as new evidence. The statements suggested Hand may have been assaulted by her then-partner after returning from the hotel, an argument intended to support the claim that her injuries had a cause other than McGregor.

McGregor's side withdrew the evidence after the appeal hearing began last July. Hand's legal team subsequently argued the statements were false, and the appeals court referred the matter to prosecutors, triggering an investigation. McGregor's appeal was dismissed, and in December of that year Ireland's Supreme Court declined to hear a further appeal.

Meanwhile, police had investigated following a complaint by Hand, but prosecutors decided in 2020 that there was insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges against McGregor. Hand requested a review of the decision, but it was upheld, and she later filed a separate civil damages lawsuit.

McGregor returned to the octagon in July at UFC 329 against Max Holloway after a five-year absence, but suffered a TKO loss just 1 minute and 9 seconds into the fight after injuring his knee. He has since undergone surgery and is targeting a comeback in the summer of 2027. The defeat extended his UFC losing streak to four consecutive bouts since a victory over Donald Cerrone in January 2020, with one fight remaining on his UFC contract.


yjc@heraldcorp.com