Key facts
- A man and woman have been charged with perjury in Ireland.
- Samantha O'Reilly and Steven Cummins are accused of knowingly making false statements in judicial proceedings.
- The charges stem from evidence submitted during Conor McGregor's failed civil appeal over a sexual assault finding.
- McGregor was found civilly liable for sexual assault by a jury in 2024.
- O'Reilly faces two counts of giving false statements in January and May 2025.
- Cummins faces one count concerning a statement from January 2025.
Two individuals, Samantha O'Reilly and Steven Cummins, have been charged with perjury in Ireland in connection with evidence provided for Conor McGregor's unsuccessful civil appeal. The charges relate to affidavits submitted on behalf of McGregor, who was appealing a jury's finding that he sexually assaulted Nikita Hand.
O'Reilly, 38, and Cummins, 39, appeared before Dublin District Court on Tuesday. They are accused of knowingly making false statements in judicial proceedings. O'Reilly faces two counts for statements made in January and May 2025, while Cummins faces one count for a statement made in January 2025. The Director of Public Prosecutions has directed that both cases proceed to the Circuit Criminal Court, where they could face a jury trial and a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
The charges stem from affidavits O'Reilly and Cummins provided, claiming they witnessed events that could offer an alternative explanation for bruising on Hand's body. McGregor's legal team sought to introduce this evidence during his appeal against the 2024 High Court jury verdict, which found him liable for sexual assault and awarded Hand €248,603.60 in damages, plus approximately €1.3 million in legal costs. McGregor had maintained that his encounter with Hand in December 2018 was consensual.
However, McGregor's lawyers abruptly withdrew the application to introduce the affidavits shortly before the Court of Appeal hearing. Hand's lawyers had raised concerns over possible perjury, leading the Court of Appeal to refer the documentation to the Director of Public Prosecutions. O'Reilly and Cummins were arrested last September as part of the subsequent investigation. McGregor ultimately lost his appeal on all grounds, and Ireland's Supreme Court declined to hear a further challenge.