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Two women who have accused Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the former leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), of childhood sexual abuse have been described by his defence as unreliable witnesses. His barrister, Kieran Vaughan KC, argued that the complainants’ testimonies contained “significant and fundamental issues,” making it impossible for the jury to confidently conclude guilt. Sir Jeffrey has pleaded not guilty to 18 charges, which include one count of rape, relating to incidents allegedly occurring between 1985 and 2008.
Lady Eleanor Donaldson, Sir Jeffrey’s wife, faces five related charges of aiding and abetting but is undergoing a trial of the facts due to being deemed unfit for a full trial on mental health grounds. She is not actively participating in the court proceedings. During his closing remarks, Vaughan urged the jury to “ignore the noise” surrounding the case and focus strictly on the evidence presented. He highlighted inconsistency in the complainants’ accounts, particularly emphasizing Complainant A’s statement, whom he described as “very, very unreliable” and untrustworthy due to her tendency to omit and add details allegedly to suit her own purposes.
Vaughan scrutinized several aspects of Complainant A’s evidence, including a 2020 letter from Sir Jeffrey that she believed was an apology for the abuse. The defence pointed out that the complainant failed to mention the letter’s context and omitted references to abuse by another man during police interviews. Vaughan suggested these omissions indicated manipulation of the narrative to “portray a certain picture.” He also challenged her claim that Sir Jeffrey used a light to look at her inappropriately, labeling it a “misunderstanding” based on her own admission of confusion during police questioning. Additionally, Vaughan disputed allegations of inappropriate physical contact, questioning the complainant’s shifting testimony about whether Lady Donaldson had witnessed certain actions, ultimately describing the witness as someone capable of “saying a terrible untruth.”
The defence for Lady Eleanor Donaldson was delivered by Ian Turkington KC, who reminded the jury that his client was too unwell to attend or defend herself in the trial. He described the jurors as “gatekeepers” responsible for preventing any miscarriage of justice and stressed the requirement that the prosecution must prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. Turkington cast doubt on the reliability of the complainants’ memories due to the long delays between the alleged events and their reporting to the police. He also contested allegations that Lady Donaldson witnessed or was complicit in abuse, calling one accusation—the claim she facilitated an alleged rape—“the most serious allegation” and “beggars belief” since it was never mentioned during police interviews. Highlighting an apparent reversal in Complainant A’s statements about what Lady Donaldson allegedly observed, Turkington concluded by urging the jury to end Lady Donaldson’s ordeal with a verdict of not guilty.
Judge Paul Ramsey is scheduled to provide his summing-up of the case on Thursday. Sir Jeffrey continues to deny all charges of gross indecency and indecent assault relating to Complainant A, covering the period between 1999 and 2008, as well as the other offences against Complainant B that date back to 1985
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