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Conor McGregor appeal begins with dramatic development as he withdraws ‘fresh evidence'

Conor McGregor appeal begins with dramatic development as he withdraws ‘fresh evidence'

BreakingNews.ie11 hours ago
Conor McGregor's appeal against the finding of a High Court jury in a civil rape trial has opened with a dramatic development.
The legal team for the former mixed martial arts fighter was granted permission to withdraw an application to bring fresh evidence in support of his case at the Court of Appeal.
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Former hairdresser Nikita Hand (35) sued Mr McGregor over an incident at a south Dublin hotel in December 2018.
McGregor was found civilly liable for assault but has since sought an appeal which was initially due to include an application to bring fresh evidence.
At the Court of Appeal on Tuesday, his legal team asked for the application to bring new evidence to be withdrawn.
This was granted by the three presiding judges.
The appeal is proceeding on other grounds brought by McGregor's legal team.
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It is clear that Ireland, who co-founded Surrey Pride in 2018, used his position to gain access to young people and children THE PRIDE PAEDO How revered charity leader groomed and raped a 12-year-old boy then told twisted pal it was 'naughty and kinky' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) STEPHEN IRELAND was a popular LGBT activist, who co-founded Surrey Pride and held the important position of its head of safeguarding. But he will now spend the next 24 years in prison after raping an 'extremely vulnerable' 12-year-old boy in April 2024. 8 Stephen Ireland, who co-founded Pride in Surrey in 2018, raped a 12-year-old boy he met on dating app Grindr Credit: X 8 Ireland was sentenced to 24 years in prison Credit: Surrey Police I was in Guildford Crown Court on Monday to watch Judge Patricia Lees hand Ireland, 42, his sentence, which included a further six years on extended licence. His 27-year-old boyfriend and flatmate, David Sutton, was jailed for four and half years for his part in the sickening ordeal. The boy — referred to in court as Child A — who had been reported missing at the time, had been lured to Ireland's home in Surrey after meeting him on the popular gay dating app Grindr. In a carefully calculated move, Ireland provided the boy with a set of instructions and a key code to his flat, to avoid being seen together in public. The boy, tired and hungry, was given a bong to smoke, which was later found to be laced with methamphetamine, while pornography played on a laptop. Then he was raped by Ireland and the assault filmed, for the sadistic enjoyment of their cohorts. The four-week trial followed an extensive investigation by Surrey Police's Complex Abuse Unit. 'Keep it a secret' It began following the reported rape, which led to Ireland's arrest in April 2024. A search of a phone hidden in his flat revealed indecent images of children. Ireland and Sutton were both arrested on June 11, 2024, for distribution and possession of indecent images of children, and on August 14, 2024, charges were authorised for 44 offences (later increased to 45) relating to both, covering the period between August 2022 and July 2024. Ireland's full list of crimes is horrifying. He was also convicted of three counts of causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, sexual assault, conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child, facilitating a child sexual offence, six counts of making child abuse imagery, distributing pornographic images of children, and possession of one of the most serious child abuse images, involving a toddler. Sutton, who was a Surrey Pride volunteer, was sentenced for offences including voyeurism and possession and distribution of prohibited images of children. 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But some volunteers had complained after feeling uneasy about the young age of his then boyfriend. 8 I was in Guildford Crown Court on Monday to watch Judge Patricia Lees hand Ireland, 42, his sentence Credit: Facebook 8 So militant were Ireland's views on trans rights he targeted gender critical feminists, including the author JK Rowling Credit: Facebook One of those, Eve — not her real name — told me: 'There were some volunteers that raised concerns and there was a full safeguarding investigation, which was also escalated up to Surrey County Council. 'They had a huge issue about the fact that Ireland had a younger boyfriend, but he was above the age of 18, so that was that.' Ireland was also involved in the Pride Hub, which encouraged young people to join in-person social events. There is video footage of him sitting with an older 'trans woman' telling kids they could 'have sweets and popcorn' if they came along to a film screening. He also gave talks to schools. Throughout his time at the helm of Surrey Pride, Ireland waged a harassment campaign against Policing and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend, which included lobbying for her removal from office, and regularly referring to her as 'anti-trans' and 'exclusionary' in public. So militant were his views on trans rights, he targeted gender critical feminists, including author JK Rowling, who had spoken out against transitioning children, and for the protection of women-only spaces. 8 Rowling posted on X about his sentence on Monday Credit: X 8 Campaigner Maria Esposito believes Surrey Pride should now be shut down for 'safeguarding failures' Credit: Alamy In June 2020, Ireland tweeted: 'How to ruin a legacy . . . Become a TERF! Very disappointing JK!' Rowling posted on X about his 30-year sentence on Monday. Maria Esposito, an LGB campaigner since the 1980s and an attendee of the inaugural Surrey Pride, expressed unease about how quickly Ireland appeared to embed both himself and Pride within mainstream institutions. She said: 'Watching them gain access to Surrey County Council, Surrey Police and local radio stations was deeply concerning.' Esposito believes Surrey Pride should now be shut down.

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