Conor McGregor has lost his appeal against a civil jury finding in favour of Nikita Hand, who sued him over alleged rape of her in a Dublin hotel.

In its judgment on Thursday afternoon, the three judge Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal “in its entirety”. Ms Hand was in court for the ruling. Mr McGregor was not present.

Mr McGregor, who denied rape and claimed he had consensual and “vigorous” sex with Ms Hand in the Beacon hotel on December 9th 2018, had claimed the trial judge erred in directing the High Court civil jury should be asked to decide whether he “assaulted”, rather than “sexually assaulted”, Ms Hand.

Dismissing that ground of appeal, Mr Justice Brian O’Moore, sitting with Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy and Mr Justice Michael McGrath, said the appeal court had no doubt the overall effect of Mr Justice Alexander Owen’s charge was to tell them the central allegation by Ms Hand against Mr McGregor was he had raped her.

It was “unreal” to suggest that, after the trial judge had framed the issue in the “brutally clear” way he had, that the jury could have been confused.

Speaking outside the Four Courts in Dublin following the judgment, Ms Hand said “today I can finally move on and try to heal”.