Donaldson letter to accuser was not about abuse claims, lawyer says

A defence lawyer told Newry Crown Court that Sir Jeffrey Donaldson’s 2020 letter to an accuser was not about her abuse allegations.

A lawyer for Sir Jeffrey Donaldson told Newry Crown Court that a 2020 letter the former DUP leader wrote to a woman accusing him of sex abuse had “nothing to do” with her allegations, as his trial continued.

Sir Jeffrey, 63, is facing 18 sex abuse charges, including one count of rape. He denies all the offences. The evidence heard on Thursday concerned Complainant A, one of two alleged victims, whose identity is protected.

Kieran Vaughan KC, representing Sir Jeffrey, continued cross-examining Complainant A about a letter written in June 2020 and read in court. In it, Sir Jeffrey expressed “regret” for the “hurt, pain and distress” he had caused.

Complainant A had previously told the court she believed the letter was an attempt by him “to apologise for perhaps the abuse which had occurred.” Vaughan challenged that interpretation, saying it was not the “proper context” and suggesting the letter referred to other “behaviour.” He put it to her: “This has nothing to do with you and sexual assault.”

Complainant A rejected the defence account, saying she believed the letter was “an apology for what he did to me.” She told the court Sir Jeffrey would not have put an explicit admission in writing but could “heavily suggest and hint” that he was sorry. She said an acknowledgement of sin without detail was “not enough.”

Vaughan also referred to communications between Complainant A and Sir Jeffrey that he suggested showed “friendly banter” inconsistent with the abuse allegations. Complainant A rejected the claim that the alleged incidents did not happen.

She alleges that in three incidents Sir Jeffrey rubbed her breasts, kissed her inappropriately and shone a light, possibly a torch, on her genital area. She also alleged that Lady Eleanor Donaldson witnessed one incident in which Sir Jeffrey rubbed her chest with his hand under her clothing and did not intervene.

Sir Jeffrey denies acts of gross indecency and indecent assault against Complainant A when she was a child, between 1999 and 2008. Other alleged offences, dating back to 1985 and including the rape charge, relate to Complainant B, who was also a child at the time alleged.

Lady Donaldson faces five related charges of aiding and abetting, which she denies. She has been found unfit for a conventional trial under the Mental Health (Northern Ireland) Order, and a trial of the facts is being held in which she will not participate. The trial continues.