Two women who accused Northern Irish politician Sir Jeffrey Donaldson of sexually abusing them when they were children said he put them through 'difficult and traumatic events', a court heard today.
Charges and Denials
Former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Donaldson, 63, denied one count of rape, 13 counts of indecent assault and four counts of gross indecency at Newry Crown Court. The 18 alleged offences against the two women are said to have taken place between 1985 and 2008.
Donaldson's wife Lady Eleanor Donaldson also faces charges in connection, but denied several counts of aiding and abetting her husband's alleged offending. She is standing a trial of the facts, not a criminal trial, on mental health grounds.
Prosecution's Case
Prosecuting, barrister Rosemary Walsh KC told the court one of the alleged victims had alerted police she had been sexually abused as a child, remembering two incidents 'vividly'. She told officers in March 2024 that Donaldson had put his hands down her underwear, pulled her legs apart and then sexually assaulted her in one incident. She then alleged Donaldson had lifted her top and started to touch her breasts on a separate occasion.
There were other incidents where she claimed Donaldson had put his hands down her pants 'a lot', and that Donaldson later 'apologised to her for what had happened in the past' at a meeting in a Christian centre, she said.
Second Complainant's Allegations
The second complainant also came forward to police in March 2024 and alleged Donaldson had touched her on a number of occasions under her top when she was a child. Touching her was something he had 'done quite often', she claimed, as she accused him of making comments about her appearance, including the size of her breasts. In another alleged incident, Donaldson had been 'looking at her private parts', Ms Walsh told the court.
Arrest and Court Proceedings
The Donaldsons were arrested on March 28, 2024. Jeffrey Donaldson said the claims were 'unbelievable' and denied rubbing the breast of the second woman while under police questioning. Eleanor Donaldson is facing a trial of the facts after Judge Paul Ramsey ruled her unfit for a criminal trial on mental health grounds.
Evidence against her will be tested and heard by the same jury simultaneously, but cannot result in a criminal conviction. The court will hear evidence from witnesses as well as police interviews carried out with the Donaldsons at the time of their arrest in 2024, Ms Walsh said as she opened the prosecution and summarised the evidence today.
Donaldson stood in the dock with his hands joined as the charges against him and his wife were read to the jury of seven men and five women. Evidence from the two alleged victims will also be delivered in part by pre-recorded interviews. Barristers will cross-examine them, but the women will not come into the court, Ms Walsh said.
The trial is expected to last between three and four weeks. Jeffrey Donaldson, a former long-standing MP for Lagan Valley, resigned as DUP leader and was suspended from the party after the allegations emerged.
