Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the former DUP leader, has arrived at Newry Courthouse ahead of the prosecution opening its case in his trial for alleged historical sexual offences. The 63-year-old has pleaded not guilty to 18 charges, including one count of rape and allegations of indecent assault and gross indecency, spanning from 1985 to 2008 and involving two alleged victims.
The start of the trial on Wednesday was delayed until after lunch due to legal discussions. Donaldson, a former long-standing MP for Lagan Valley, was arrested and charged in late March 2024. He resigned as DUP leader and was suspended from the party after the allegations emerged, just weeks after leading the party back into devolved government at Stormont.
His wife, Lady Eleanor Donaldson, 60, from Dromore, Co Down, denies several charges of aiding and abetting her husband's alleged offending. However, she is facing a trial of the facts, not a criminal trial, after Judge Ramsey ruled her unfit to stand trial on mental health grounds. This process tests the evidence but cannot result in a criminal conviction.
Both trials are being heard simultaneously by the same jury, presided over by Judge Ramsey, as part of one overall trial process.
