On Monday, 8th June, the Newry Crown Court continued hearing the high-profile trial of Jeffrey Donaldson, who faces 18 charges of sexual abuse, including one count of rape.
His wife, Eleanor Donaldson, faces five counts of aiding and abetting but has been deemed unfit to stand trial, meaning she will undergo a ‘trial of the facts’ instead.
The prosecution commenced by calling Detective Constable Natalie Boyd to the witness stand. She provided a detailed account of her role in the investigation, explaining how the complainants, witnesses, and defendants were interviewed, and how evidence was gathered.
The jury learned that both Jeffrey and Eleanor Donaldson were arrested at their home and subsequently transported to a police station for questioning.
During her testimony, DC Boyd explained the police caution read to both defendants upon arrest.
Jeffrey Donaldson was taken to Antrim Police Station, where he was interviewed over four tapes spanning a total of 4.5 hours. An abridged version of his police interview was played for the jury, but audio issues arose, prompting a break to prepare transcripts for better clarity.
Upon resuming, the jury heard the first tape from Donaldson’s police interview conducted on 28th March 2024. Much of the specific content of these interviews cannot be reported due to the need to protect the anonymity of the complainants.
In the course of his interrogation, when detectives confronted Donaldson with allegations from Complainant B, including claims that she was made to share a bed with him while his wife slept in another room, he responded, “This is unbelievable. Absolutely categorically this did not happen.”
When pressed about specific allegations, such as placing his hands down Complainant B’s pants, he firmly denied, stating, “Nope. I wasn’t in bed with her.” Further allegations regarding inappropriate touching were met with similar denials. When asked if he was a “heavy breather,” Donaldson recounted, “Well, what age was I at the time? I was late 20s, early 30s. Why would I be a heavy breather?”
The detectives continued to challenge him, asking whether he penetrated Complainant B. He replied emphatically, “That did not happen! The answer to that is absolutely no.”
Confronted with another allegation that he touched Complainant B under her sports bra on a separate ocassion, Donaldson simply stated, “No,” and to the allegation his wife walked in on him allegedly committing this act but walked back out without saying anything, he asserting that if his wife thought anything inappropriate was occurring, she would have intervened.
He did however recount that, “There was one occasion when, I can’t remember the time of year, but there was one occasion Complainant B and I were alone,” claiming that their interaction was innocent and not of a sexual nature.
Donaldson also described a meeting he had with Complainant B, organised by David Hoy, after she expressed discomfort regarding past events.
Donaldson did maintain that none of these allegations were ever put to him by either Complainant B or David Hoy.
When asked why he appoliigied he told detectives, “I apologised to Complainant B that she felt uncomfortable and that I accepted that’s how she felt.”
The jury then heard the third tape of his police interview, which focused on allegations made by Complainant A. When asked about claims that he touched her breasts, he categorically denied, stating, “No, absolutely not, absolutely not.” He also rejected an allegation that he kissed her, pointing out, “That is inappropriate behaviour. The only person I would kiss on the mouth is my wife.”
In response to claims that he had directed a torch at her private area, Donaldson refuted, saying, “If you’re asking me to explain something, did I have a torch, no.” He insisted, “I did not touch her in any part whatsoever,” and when questioned about the witness feeling uncomfortable, he denied any inappropriate comments.
The trial continues as the evidence unfolds, with the jury tasked with determining the credibility of the testimonies presented. The outcome of this case remains to be seen as both Jeffrey and Eleanor Donaldson await the court’s decision.
The trial continues tomorrow (9th May) where the jury will heard the final police interview tape of Jeffrey Donaldson before the prosecution moves on to the police interviews of Eleanor Donaldson.
