Sir Jeffrey Donaldson's Lawyer Claims Letter to Accuser Unrelated to Sex Abuse Allegations
Newry Crown Court has heard that a letter from Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader, to a woman accusing him of sex abuse had no connection to her allegations. Kieran Vaughan KC, representing Sir Jeffrey, made this assertion during his cross-examination of Complainant A, one of the two alleged victims.
Sir Jeffrey faces 18 sex abuse charges, including one count of rape, all of which he denies. In June 2020, he wrote a letter to Complainant A, read in court, expressing “regret” for the “hurt, pain and distress” he had caused. Complainant A previously stated she interpreted this as an apology for the alleged abuse.
However, Vaughan argued this was not the “proper context,” claiming Complainant A had not provided this context to police when submitting the letter in March 2024. He stated, “This has nothing to do with you and sexual assault,” suggesting Sir Jeffrey was apologising for other “behaviour.”
Complainant A maintained her belief that the letter was “an apology for what he did to me.” She characterised Sir Jeffrey as a “very clever man” who would use veiled language to suggest remorse without explicit admission. “You can acknowledge that you have sinned. There’s no detail of what that sin was,” she stated, adding that this was “not enough.”
Vaughan also presented communications between Complainant A and Sir Jeffrey, which he described as demonstrating “friendly banter,” contrasting with the abuse allegations. Complainant A rejected the lawyer’s assertions that the incidents never occurred.
She alleges three incidents where Sir Jeffrey, 63, rubbed her breasts, kissed her inappropriately, and shone a light, possibly a torch, on her genital area. Complainant A further claimed that Lady Eleanor Donaldson, Sir Jeffrey’s wife, witnessed one incident where he rubbed her chest under her clothing but did not intervene. “The facts are the facts and I’m sticking to those,” she affirmed.
Sir Jeffrey denies acts of gross indecency and indecent assault against Complainant A, dating between 1999 and 2008 when she was a child. Further alleged offences, including a rape charge dating back to 1985, concern a second woman, Complainant B, also a child at the time.
Lady Donaldson faces five related charges of aiding and abetting, which she denies. Deemed unfit for a conventional trial under the Mental Health (Northern Ireland) Order, a trial of the facts is proceeding without her direct participation.
The trial continues.
