The jury in Sir Jeffrey Donaldson's sexual abuse trial resumed deliberations for a third day after Judge Paul Ramsey summed up the case. Sir Jeffrey, 63, denies 18 charges—including one count of rape—relating to alleged abuse of two women between 1985 and 2008. Lady Eleanor Donaldson was ruled unfit for a conventional trial and is undergoing a trial of the facts in her absence. Jurors were reminded they must be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt before returning a guilty verdict.
Jury Returns for Third Day in Sir Jeffrey Donaldson Sexual Abuse Trial
[PA Media]
The jury in the sexual abuse trial of Sir Jeffrey Donaldson resumed deliberations for a third day after Judge Paul Ramsey delivered his closing directions on Thursday morning.
The former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader, 63, has pleaded not guilty to 18 charges arising from allegations that he sexually abused two women when they were children. The charges include one count of rape, four counts of gross indecency and 13 counts of indecent assault. The alleged offences are said to have occurred between 1985 and 2008.
The hearing at Newry Crown Court has entered its fifth week. The judge reminded jurors they must be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt of the prosecution's case before returning any guilty verdict.
Jurors were sent out to consider their verdicts on Thursday afternoon and had been deliberating for about seven hours by the time they were recalled. Both alleged victims, referred to in court as Complainants A and B, have given evidence. Sir Jeffrey also gave evidence over two days in the witness box.
Lady Eleanor Donaldson, 60, who is accused of five counts of aiding and abetting the alleged offending, was declared unfit to stand a conventional trial on mental health grounds at a pre-trial hearing last month. She has not participated in the main proceedings; instead a separate trial of the facts is being held in her absence. The jury will be asked to determine whether she committed the acts alleged, but any finding in that trial cannot result in a criminal conviction.
The Donaldsons were arrested at their County Down home and were formally charged on 28 March 2024. The court process continues as the jury weighs the evidence presented during this multiweek trial.
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