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The jury involved in the sexual abuse case against Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has paused its deliberations for the weekend and will resume on Monday. The trial, which is taking place at Newry Crown Court, is now in its fourth week. On Thursday morning, Judge Paul Ramsey provided a summary of the case before the jurors retired to consider their verdicts later that afternoon. They have been deliberating for approximately seven hours up to this point.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the former leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), faces 18 charges including one count of rape. These allegations revolve around the sexual abuse of two women during their childhood. Donaldson has entered a plea of not guilty to all charges, which also include four counts of gross indecency and 13 counts of indecent assault. The purported incidents are alleged to have happened between 1985 and 2008.
Alongside Sir Jeffrey, his wife Lady Eleanor Donaldson faces five charges related to aiding and abetting the offenses he is accused of committing. However, Lady Donaldson has been declared unfit to stand a conventional trial on mental health grounds as determined during a pre-trial hearing last month. Consequently, she is not actively participating in the proceedings but is undergoing a trial of the facts in her absence. The jury’s role regarding her case is limited to deciding whether the alleged acts occurred; this process cannot result in a criminal conviction.
Both alleged victims, referred to as Complainants A and B, have provided testimony during the trial. Sir Jeffrey Donaldson also gave evidence over the course of two days. The Donaldsons were arrested at their residence in County Down and formally charged on 28 March 2024. Judge Ramsey emphasized to the jury that a conviction can only be reached if the prosecution proves the case beyond a reasonable doubt
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