{
  "id": 10958932,
  "title": "Couple who lied to cover for Conor McGregor in sexual assault case arrested, charged with perjury",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/couple-who-lied-to-cover-for-conor-mcgregor-in-sexual-assault-case",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-30T14:10:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/couple-lied-cover-conor-mcgregor-141008625.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Nikita Hand alleges that Conor McGregor raped her in a Dublin hotel in December 2018. Samantha O’Reilly and Steven Cummins reportedly told the court they witnessed domestic violence involving Hand’s then-partner, Stephen Redmond. However, when cross-examined by prosecutors, the couple's evidence was withdrawn, distancing themselves from the claim. It was discovered that O’Reilly and Cummins had not lived in the property they claimed to have seen the incident at, as they moved in a week after the alleged assault. O’Reilly, a \"Conor McGregor super fan,\" has two additional charges of giving false statements in January and May of the previous year. Both O’Reilly and Cummins appeared in Dublin District Court, charged with perjury for providing false statements in judicial proceedings. They were released on continuing bail, pending further proceedings, which could include additional charges. Conor McGregor, facing a sexual assault verdict, has lost an appeal and continues to face multiple lawsuits related to the incident.",
  "summary": "Samantha O’Reilly and Steven Cummins issued sworn statements contradicting testimony from Nikita Hand during Conor McGregor’s sexual assault civil trial in late 2024, claiming they witnessed domestic violence involving Hand’s then-partner, Stephen Redmond. But when prosecutors were given the opportunity to cross examine them, McGregor’s legal team abruptly withdrew the evidence and distanced…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}