Man and woman charged with committing perjury during Conor McGregor’s sexual assault appeal
Two people have been accused of giving false statements in affidavits connected to Conor McGregor's failed civil appeal.
Samantha O'Reilly and Steven Cummins, who provided evidence intended to support the MMA fighter's appeal against a civil court finding that he sexually assaulted Nikita Hand, have been charged with perjury.
O'Reilly, 38, and Cummins, 39, appeared before Dublin District Court on Tuesday (29 September), following an investigation by Ireland’s Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
The pair are accused of giving false statements in affidavits on 14 January connected to McGregor's appeal. O'Reilly is also accused of giving a false statement on 6 May 2025.
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The charges stem from evidence submitted during McGregor's attempt to appeal the outcome of a civil case brought by Nikita Hand.
Hand sued the Irish sportsman in the High Court over a sexual assault incident at Dublin's Beacon Hotel on 9 December 2018.
McGregor denied the allegation and told the court he and Hand had consensual sex.
In November 2024, a civil jury found McGregor liable for assaulting Hand and awarded her €248,603 in damages.
McGregor subsequently appealed the decision, with his legal team seeking to introduce fresh evidence relating to bruising found on Hand's body.
That evidence included affidavits from O’Reilly and Cummins, who had lived across the road from Hand in 2018.
O'Reilly claimed she had witnessed a physical altercation involving Hand and her former partner around the time of the alleged assault.
Hand denied that any such altercation had taken place.
The proposed evidence was ultimately withdrawn by McGregor's legal team at the beginning of the appeal proceedings, meaning the pair did not give evidence as part of the appeal.
The Court of Appeal subsequently dismissed McGregor's appeal.
The unusual circumstances surrounding the withdrawal of the proposed fresh evidence led to concerns about the affidavits.
O’Reilly and Cummins were subsequently investigated by Gardaí before being arrested.
The charges against them filed this week relate specifically to the alleged false statements in their affidavits, and are not against 38-year-old McGregor.
The pair were granted bail, with conditions including reporting to Ballyfermot Garda station, remaining contactable by phone and having no direct or indirect contact with witnesses.
They have not entered pleas, and the allegations against them - brought under section 2(1) of Ireland’s Criminal Justice (Perjury and Related Offences) Act 2021 - have not yet been proven in court.
The Director of Public Prosecutions has directed that O'Reilly and Cumms face trial on indictment, meaning the case will proceed to the Circuit Court.
They are due back before Dublin District Court on 9 November, when prosecutors are expected to serve the book of evidence and seek a return-for-trial order.
According to the Irish Times, Cummins was also specifically told that the no-contact condition included contact 'in person or by social media'.
Rhianna Benson