Court Hears Donaldson Letter to Accuser Addressed Other Conduct

A letter Sir Jeffrey Donaldson sent in June 2020 to a woman accusing him of sex abuse had nothing to do with those allegations, his lawyer told Newry Crown Court on Thursday. Kieran Vaughan KC, representing the former Democratic Unionist Party leader, said the letter expressed regret for unspecified conduct and was not an apology for sexual assault.

Complainant A had previously testified that she viewed the letter as an attempt to apologise for abuse.

Vaughan put it to Complainant A that she had not told police the letter's context when she gave it to them after her March 2024 interview. He stated the letter concerned other behaviour by Sir Jeffrey. Complainant A rejected that account. She said Sir Jeffrey would never write explicit details but could hint at an apology, adding that the letter was not enough.

A alleges three incidents in which Sir Jeffrey rubbed her breasts, kissed her inappropriately and shone a light on her genital area when she was a child between 1999 and 2008. She said Lady Eleanor Donaldson witnessed one incident but did not intervene.

Sir Jeffrey denies all 18 charges, which include one count of rape relating to a second complainant between 1985 and 2008. Lady Donaldson faces five related charges of aiding and abetting and has been found unfit for a conventional trial. The trial continues.