Key facts
- Sir Jeffrey Donaldson denies 18 sex abuse charges, including rape, against two alleged child victims.
- Lady Eleanor Donaldson denies five charges of aiding and abetting his alleged offending.
- Complainant A claimed Lady Donaldson was informed of alleged abuse by Sir Jeffrey and "did nothing about it".
- Lady Donaldson told police Sir Jeffrey would not discuss an incident where she saw him with Complainant B.
- Complainant B previously testified that Lady Donaldson witnessed Sir Jeffrey touching her breasts but remained silent.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the former leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), denies 18 sex abuse charges, including one count of rape, allegedly committed against two child victims between 1985 and 2008. His wife, Lady Eleanor Donaldson, denies five charges of aiding and abetting his alleged offending. Lady Donaldson faces a trial of the facts after being deemed unfit for a conventional trial on mental health grounds.
During cross-examination at Newry Crown Court, Complainant A claimed that Lady Donaldson was aware of an alleged incident where Sir Jeffrey shone a bright light on her private parts and also kissed her, an encounter she said was "laughed off" by both defendants. Complainant A stated she told Lady Donaldson about the alleged incident, asserting, "I knew by the look on her face she knew I was telling the truth," and that Lady Donaldson "did nothing about it."
Lady Donaldson's barrister, Ian Turkington KC, put it to the complainant that Lady Donaldson had asked Sir Jeffrey about the alleged incident. Complainant A also mentioned informing Lady Donaldson of a separate alleged incident where Sir Jeffrey kissed her, describing it as him having "put his tongue in my mouth" and "moved his tongue around my mouth."
Separately, Complainant B previously told the court that Lady Donaldson had witnessed Sir Jeffrey touching her breasts but had said nothing and walked away. In a police interview, Lady Donaldson described seeing Sir Jeffrey and Complainant B together as an "unexplained situation," stating they were both fully clothed and that she "couldn't see what was happening." She told police Sir Jeffrey had said they were "just talking."
Lady Donaldson also stated that she asked Sir Jeffrey about the incident, but he dismissed it and "would not talk about it." She later became aware that years after the event, Sir Jeffrey had asked for Complainant B's forgiveness at a meeting, but she told police she never knew what it was for, as it was "never disclosed" to her. Regarding an alleged rape of Complainant B by Sir Jeffrey, Lady Donaldson told police, "I would say that didn't happen. Absolutely not."