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Conor McGregor Being Investigated in Ireland For Sexual Assault

March 26, 2019 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas
Conor McGregor EA UFC 3 WWE UFC Image Credit: EA

Conor McGregor is being investigated in his home country of Ireland over an alleged sexual assault. The New York Times reports that McGregor is currently under investigation after a woman accused him of an assault in December.

The allegation from the woman claims that the attack happened at the Beacon Hotel, which is located in South Dublin. According to the Times, McGregor is known to occasionally book the sole penthouse room at the hotel, and most recently did so in December when the assault allegedly occurred. The police investigating retrieved evidence from the penthouse suite as well as closed-circuit video footage. McGregor has not, as of yet at least, been charged with a crime. The investigation is ongoing and McGregor was arrested in January, questioned by police and released pending further investigation.

Irish media have reported on the case for some time now, but the country’s laws prohobit them from naming a suspect in sexual assault cases before a conviction happens. Irish police would not confirm if McGregor was the suspect in question, but an internal memo from broadcaster RTE has leaked, stamped “not for publication/broadcast” from January 18th, which said McGregor had appeared at a police station the day before to be questioned. That fits with the police’s statement that a a man had been arrested on Jan. 17 and released without charge while investigations continue.

UFC officials have yet to respond to requests for comment. Karen Kessler, a spokesperson for McGregor’s legal team, issued a statement which did not address the valitidy of the accusations but denied that McGregor’s announced retirement last night had anything to do with the allegations.

“This story has been circulating for some time, and it is unclear why it is being reported now,” the statement read. “The assumption that the Conor retirement announcement today is related to this rumor is absolutely false. Should Conor fight in the future, it must be in an environment where fighters are respected for their value, their skill, their hard work and their dedication to the sport.”

This is the latest legal trouble for a fighter who has had his share. He was arrested in March in Miami Beach, Florida, where he was charged with felony strong-arm robbery as well as misdemeanor criminal mischief for allegedly swiping a phone from a fan who took a picture of him, stomping on it and walking away with it.

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Jeremy Thomas