The trial of former DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has heard that he wrote a letter to a woman who accuses him of sexually abusing her as a child, expressing regret for 'all the hurt, pain and distress I have caused'. The woman told Newry Crown Court she believed the letter was an attempt by Donaldson to apologise for the alleged abuse.
Letter Read in Court
Prosecuting barrister Rosemary Walsh KC read the letter, dated June 2020, in which Donaldson wrote: 'I wish I could find the right words to adequately express just how sorry I am for all of this… I take full responsibility for it all.' He described himself as a 'sinner' and said he had failed to address his 'sinful nature for far too many years'. The letter added: 'I will regret this to my dying day.'
Under cross-examination by Donaldson's barrister Kieran Vaughan KC, the complainant acknowledged she had been sexually abused by another man when she was of primary school age. She said she did not disclose that abuse to police because she saw it as the 'lesser of two evils'.
Allegations Span Decades
Donaldson, 63, faces 18 charges including rape, gross indecency, and indecent assault, alleged to have occurred between 1985 and 2008 involving two complainants. He has pleaded not guilty. His wife, Lady Eleanor Donaldson, denies charges of aiding and abetting, but a judge ruled her unfit to stand trial on mental health grounds; a trial of the facts will proceed.
Complainant's Testimony
The court earlier watched a police interview from March 2024 in which the complainant described Donaldson's alleged abuse starting when she was of primary school age. She recalled him putting his hand up her top, making comments about her breasts, and a 'significant event' when he looked at her 'private parts' with a light. She said incidents were 'laughed off as a joke' but she later understood they were 'not normal'.
During cross-examination, Vaughan suggested the complainant's memories were 'foggy' and that she may have 'fabricated' or 'dreamt' the abuse. She rejected this, calling it 'ridiculous' and 'insulting'.
The trial, expected to last three to four weeks, continues on Friday. Donaldson, a former MP for Lagan Valley, resigned as DUP leader and was suspended from the party after the allegations emerged in March 2024.
