McGregor appears to be shocked by the verdict. Understandably so – this is not how accusations against famous men usually play out.
When the #MeToo movement rippled across Hollywood in 2017, survivors of sexual assault felt empowered to share their stories – no matter how famous the perpetrator. Once the most influential man in the film industry, director Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of rape and sexual assault in 2020 and of rape in 2022. In 2018, Bill Cosby, the comedian and TV presenter, was found guilty of drugging and assaulting a woman in 2004. In 2022, R. Kelly, the so-called ‘King of R&B’, was jailed for 30 years and convicted on eight counts of sex trafficking.
But it was a brief new world. Weinstein has devoted his life to appealing his convictions, with some success – his 2020 conviction has been overturned. He remains in prison while he awaits a retrial and appeals the 2022 conviction. Cosby was released from prison in 2022 after his assault convictions were overturned. The week after R. Kelly was found guilty, his album sales soared by 500%. Mercifully, he remains behind bars.
The progress made during the #MeToo movement has largely been eclipsed by the subsequent backlash. Over the past seven years, famous men accused of sexual assault have simply harnessed societal misogyny to evade accountability for their actions – whether illegal or not.
In April 2022, when Johnny Depp accused his ex-wife Amber Heard of defamation, fans, brands, and influencers fell over themselves to create memes of Heard’s testimony – including her description of being assaulted.
In July 2023, when professional footballer Benjamin Mendy was found not guilty of rape and attempted rape, social media erupted with fellow pro sportsmen – notably Memphis Depay and Vinicious Jr – and pundits praising Mendy and calling for the complainants (the six women who accused Mendy of rape) to be prosecuted as “false accusers.” This was despite Mendy admitting to having sex with multiple women on the same night without worrying about contraception and previously being “disrespectful” in the language he used to talk about women.
No wonder Conor McGregor is in shock. We live in a misogynistic society that consistently prioritises the safety of famous men’s reputations above women’s actual safety.
Even after the jury found that McGregor assaulted Nikita Hand, the usual suspects have rallied around him. Andrew Tate – currently under house arrest on suspicion of having sex with a minor and sex trafficking, both of which he denies – tweeted, “Women sleep with rich men, and if that man doesn’t fund their life afterwards, they lie and sue.”
While Tate’s sign-off – “It’s literally impossible to be a man in the western world” – made me snort, his rhetoric about women being fame-hungry liars crops up in the legal system all the time. Women who accuse famous men are often accused of doing it for the buck, fame, or the sheer thrill of ruining a famous man’s reputation. Indeed, during the trial, McGregor’s lawyer reportedly referred to Nikita as a “golddigger”.
For survivors of rape and sexual assault, access to justice is far from guaranteed. If they choose to report the crime to the police, they must recount their story several times before waiting for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to decide if there is enough evidence to pursue a criminal trial.
When the trial occurs, often a few years later, the prosecution must prove the perpetrator’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt. That means if one jury member has even the slightest doubt of the accused’s guilt, they must acquit. If the criminal route fails, some survivors, like Nikita Hand, pursue a civil claim instead. Although the standard of proof in the civil courts is lower – the jury must decide their verdict based on the “balance of probabilities” rather than “beyond reasonable doubt” – the result is damages (a fine), not prison time. So, while victims are more likely to access justice in the civil courts, they’re also more vulnerable to misogynistic accusations of doing it just for the money.
The idea that women accuse famous men for the hell of it would be laughable if it weren’t so lethal. Do you really, in your heart of hearts, think Nikita Hand endured six years of her personal life being scrutinised, taunts and threats from McGregor’s fans, and never-ending post-traumatic stress syndrome for the hell of it?
