Sir Jeffrey Donaldson Denies Letter Was Apology For Sex Abuse, Newry Court Hears

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, facing 18 sex abuse charges, told police a letter sent to one of his alleged victims was not an apology for sexual abuse. The Newry Crown Court jury heard this during the final segment of his March 2024 police interview recording.

The charges against two alleged victims span from 1985 to 2008, when both individuals were children. Previous court proceedings revealed Sir Jeffrey wrote to Complainant A in 2020, expressing "regret" for "hurt, pain and distress." Complainant A testified she interpreted this as an apology for the alleged abuse.

However, Sir Jeffrey disputed this interpretation in his police interview. He stated, "Nowhere in that letter did I indicate, nor was I alluding to, incidents of sexual abuse." He maintained the letter conveyed "remorse about other things," explicitly denying any link to sexual abuse allegations.

He also refuted claims he admitted to abusing Complainant A during a confrontation with her husband present. The interviewing officer pressed Sir Jeffrey on whether he had "nodded his head to indicate yes" when Complainant A directly asked about abuse. Sir Jeffrey responded, "She has never said to me you did this or that to me," and denied recalling any direct question about sexual abuse. When asked if he believed the couple were lying, he stated, "I'm saying that their recollection of the conversation is different from mine."

The court also heard recordings from Lady Eleanor Donaldson's police interview. She faces five charges of aiding and abetting her husband's alleged offending. Lady Donaldson denied claims she witnessed Sir Jeffrey allegedly touching Complainant B's breasts without intervention. She told police she saw them "standing there, but that was it," asserting both were "absolutely fully clothed." She claimed Sir Jeffrey dismissed the encounter as "just talking."

Lady Donaldson further stated she later asked her husband about the incident, but he "just dismissed it." Years later, she became aware he had sought Complainant B's forgiveness at a meeting in Armoy, but she maintained she was never told the reason for this apology. Sir Jeffrey reportedly told her, "that's in the past and it's been dealt with."

Both complainants reported their allegations to the Police Service of Northern Ireland in March 2024. Sir Jeffrey denies all charges, including acts of gross indecency, indecent assault, and rape.