Tesco removes Conor McGregor's whiskey from shelves after woman won civil rape case against him

Tesco has removed alcoholic drinks associated with Conor McGregor from its shelves after a woman who accused him of raping her won a civil claim for damages against him.

A spokesperson said: “We can confirm that we are removing Proper No Twelve Whiskey from sale in Tesco stores and online.”

The supermarket is joined by other retailers across the UK and Ireland which have removed products such as McGregor's whiskey brand.

A similar decision from Musgrave (the network which runs the likes of SuperValu, Centra, Daybreak and Mace) has come following the end of the court case on Friday (22 November).

Nikita Hand accused the UFC fighter of raping her in a Dublin hotel in December 2018. She won her civil claim against him at the High Court in the Irish capital with the jury awarding damages amounting to €248,603.60 (around £207,000).

The court case came to an end on Friday (David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

McGregor didn't make a comment as he left the court but later posted on his social media that he intends to appeal against the decision.

It is understood that following this case, other retail outlets - such as Costcutter and Carry Out - will also stop stocking products linked to the 36-year-old.

McGregor and some of his business partners previously sold their majority stake in the Proper Number Twelve Irish whiskey brand.

It was reported he was paid over £103 million from the sale to Proximo Spirits (who previously had a 49 percent stake) in 2021.

Yesterday, a popular video game developer also took action, deciding to pull content featuring the MMA fighter.

The Irish sportsman has featured in multiple video games, including voice-acting a character bearing his likeness in additional downloadable content in the Hitman series.

McGregor’s character featured as a target for the player-controlled assassin in the game.

He launched the whiskey in 2018 (Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

IO Interactive, the Danish developer and publisher of Hitman, said in a statement: “In light of the recent court ruling regarding Conor McGregor, IO Interactive has made the decision to cease its collaboration with the athlete, effective immediately. We take this matter very seriously and cannot ignore its implications.

“Consequently, we will begin removing all content featuring Mr McGregor from our storefronts starting today.”

Following the decision on Friday, Hand spoke outside the court as she explained her hope it would allow victims of assault to keep 'pushing forward for justice'.

"I hope my story is a reminder that no matter how afraid you might be, speak up, you have a voice and keep on fighting for justice,” she said in a moving speech.

“I know this has impacted not only my life, my daughter’s, my family and friends tremendously. It’s something that I’ll never forget for the rest of my life."

Receiving plenty of praise and support online, she added: "Now that justice has been served, I can now try and move on and look forward to the future with my family and friends and daughter."

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 500 222, available 24/7. If you are currently in danger or need urgent medical attention, you should call 999.