A dramatic twist has come up in the ongoing legal story surrounding Conor McGregor’s civil r*pe case, as two key witnesses from his failed appeal have been arrested and released following allegations of perjury.
Samantha O’Reilly and Steven Cummins, a couple from Ballyfermot who were set to provide crucial testimony in McGregor’s appeal, found themselves in Garda custody this week as part of an investigation by the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation. The pair, both in their 30s, were held at separate Dublin-area stations before being released after questioning.
The arrests represent a significant escalation in what has become an increasingly complex legal battle. O’Reilly, a carer, and Cummins, a plumber, had come forward claiming to be star witnesses who could potentially overturn the civil jury’s decision that found McGregor liable for assaulting Nikita Hand in December 2018.
Their involvement began after they reportedly saw television coverage of the original trial. The couple claimed they lived across the street from Hand and witnessed a violent altercation between her and her then-partner Stephen Redmond on the night of the alleged assault by McGregor.
O’Reilly swore in an affidavit that she observed from her bedroom window what she described as a “heated row” where Hand was on the ground while Redmond appeared to be “moving his limbs as though he was punching and kicking her.”
This testimony had the potential to fundamentally undermine Hand’s case by suggesting her injuries stemmed from the alleged domestic incident rather than her encounter with McGregor at the Beacon Hotel. The former UFC champion had consistently denied the r*pe allegations, maintaining that any intimate contact was consensual.
However, the couple’s moment in the legal spotlight was short-lived. On the very morning they were scheduled to testify and face cross-examination by Hand’s legal team, their evidence was dramatically withdrawn. Hand’s senior counsel John Gordon had raised serious concerns about perjury and what he termed the “subornation of perjury” against McGregor himself.
The Court of Appeal judges, faced with these allegations, made the extraordinary decision to refer the matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions. The referral included not only the sworn affidavits provided by O’Reilly and Cummins but also additional materials that Hand’s legal team had planned to present during their cross-examination.
Under the Perjury Act 2021, knowingly making false sworn statements carries severe penalties. Those found guilty face minimum sanctions of €4,000 and twelve months imprisonment, with maximum penalties extending to ten years behind bars and fines of €100,000.
Hand had successfully sued McGregor in the High Court over the December 2018 incident at the Dublin hotel. The civil jury awarded her €248,603 in damages plus €1.3 million in legal costs after finding that the mixed martial arts star had assaulted her.
When approached for comment at their Ballyfermot home in May, the couple declined to discuss the matter.
McGregor’s appeal ultimately proceeded without the couple’s testimony and was dismissed by the Court of Appeal.
