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A woman broke down in tears on Wednesday as she accused MMA star Conor McGregor of raping her and told a court she was fearful she would never see her daughter again while he was choking her.
The alleged victim is claiming civil damages against Irish mixed martial artist Mr McGregor and another man, claiming she was sexually assaulted in December 2018 after being picked up from a Christmas party.
On her second day of giving evidence to the High Court in Dublin she broke down several times as she described an alleged attack in the early hours by Mr McGregor after going to a gathering on 9 December 2018 at the Beacon Hotel in Dublin.
The hairdresser claimed Mr McGregor, who denies the allegations, pinned her to the bed in the hotel and pressed his whole body weight on her leaving her unable to breathe.
She said she had held up both hands and was trying to get away from him, but the more she struggled, the more he appeared to like it.
“The only thing I could move was my head. I bit him but I can’t remember where. He didn’t like it so he flipped me around and put his arm around my neck and choked me,” she said.
She added: “I’m really struggling with this. I am sorry.”
Following a break, she said: “He pinned me to the bed and I held my hands to my chest and he put his whole body weight on top of me and I couldn’t breathe.
“The only thing I could move was my head and I bit him and tried my best to get away from him. I tried to shove him and wiggle and do whatever I could.
“I remember biting really hard and then his arms were around me and choking me.
“I was trying to fight as much as I could. He put his arm around my neck and choked me three times.
“I just froze and I couldn’t move or breathe and I kept looking at the bedpost and thinking of my daughter.
“I just kept thinking I would die and not see my daughter again.”
She added: “He let me go and I remember saying I was sorry, as I felt that I did something wrong and I wanted to reassure him that I wouldn’t tell anyone so he wouldn’t hurt me again.
“Then he said that’s how he felt when he was in the Octagon and had to tap out three times. I thought it was such a weird thing to say.
“I promised I wouldn’t tell anybody anything. Then I just let him do whatever he needed to do so I could survive. My mind was completely gone and I wasn’t myself anymore.
“He was really aggressive and pulling at my clothes and shoving my head down to do things and I kept pulling my head back. He was trying to push my head down to his penis but I pushed my head back.
“He was pulling my clothes down. He then raped me. I felt like it was going on for ages.”
She paused to add: “I’m finding it really hard. I am sorry.”
She went on: “Then it was over. It was done. When he was raping me I was completely numb. I didn’t feel anything. I completely froze.”
She said she fell asleep on the bed in the hotel room and woke up later.
The court previously heard that lawyers for Mr McGregor said that what took place was consensual.
The mother-of-one was left with extensive bruises and abrasions on her body, including purple and blue bruising along her hands and wrists, a bloodied scratch to her breast and tenderness to her neck after she was placed in a “choke hold” by Mr McGregor, the court was told.
The alleged victim had been at the hotel with Mr McGregor, second defendant James Lawrence, her friend and a number of the MMA star’s security guards in December 2018.
She said the group had all left the hotel room, with Mr McGregor leaving with her friend, but she returned to the room with Mr Lawrence, where she saw the bruises on her body and broke down.
She told the court she said to Mr Lawrence: “You all turn a blind eye to what Conor does to women.”
She showed him the bruises on her body, to which she claimed he said: “I can’t believe you were in that room and I was here while that was happening to you.”
The court heard the alleged victim had to leave her job as a hairdresser and has not been able to work since due to her mental health. She also told the court she had to move out of her home in Drimnagh, and her mortgage is now in arrears.
She further told the court she had to stop seeing a counsellor because she could no longer afford to pay for the sessions.
The court also heard she has spent more than €4,000 (£3,300) on GP, pharmacy and psychotherapist costs.
In response to questions from John Gordon SC, her defence barrister, the alleged victim said she was “disappointed and upset” that the director of public prosecutions decided not to prosecute both defendants after she made a complaint to the Irish police.
The case continues.