Witness becomes emotional as he recalls wife telling him about Donaldson alleged abuse

By Jonathan McCambridge, Press Association

A man became emotional as he told a court of the moment his wife revealed to him alleged sexual abuse by former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson when she was a child.

The witness said his wife was scared as she told him about the alleged incidents, and he realised “this was massive for her”.

Newry Crown Court also heard about a message sent by Jeffrey Donaldson to a church minister who had been providing pastoral support to the couple stating he just wanted to “find a way to say how sorry I am”.

Ex-MP Donaldson, 63, has pleaded not guilty to 18 alleged offences.

The charges include one count of rape and allegations of indecent assault and gross indecency, and span a time period between 1985 and 2008 involving two alleged victims.

Complainant A and B have both previously given evidence at the sexual offences trial.

Eleanor Donaldson, from Dublinhill Road, Dromore, Co Down, denies several charges of aiding and abetting her husband’s alleged offending.

She is facing a trial of the facts.

On Thursday, the court heard evidence from the husband of Complainant A.

Prosecution barrister Rosemary Walsh KC asked him about the first time the woman told him about allegations of abuse in 2019.

He became emotional as he told the court: “She said that when she was younger, Jeffrey had abused her on a number of occasions.”

The witness said his partner had “gone into detail”, stating that Donaldson had inappropriately touched her “on a number of occasions” and that he kissed her and “put his tongue down her mouth”.

He said she also told him about an alleged incident where she was “woken by a light” and Donaldson was looking at her “private parts”.

He told the court that his wife had related another alleged incident to him when “Eleanor had walked in and saw something happen”.

He said: “I was very upset, she was slightly surprised by how upset I was.

“She was scared, she had never told anyone this, I recognised this was massive for her.”

The witness was cross-examined by Jeffrey Donaldson’s barrister Kieran Vaughan and Eleanor Donaldson’s barrister, Ian Turkington KC.

Later, the court heard evidence from a Presbyterian minister and his wife who had provided “pastoral support” to Complainant A and her husband after they had disclosed an allegation of abuse.

He said he had contacted the church’s head of safeguarding as he “wanted to know what the boundaries were regarding our responsibilities”.

He said the first meeting took place in 2022.

The witness said that when he was on holiday in the summer of 2023 he received a message from Jeffrey Donaldson.

The court heard that Donaldson asked for the message to be kept “in confidence” and said he did not know “where else to turn and would truly appreciate the opportunity for a private conversation”.

The minister said he responded the following day that it would be “inappropriate” to have the meeting.

The court heard that Donaldson then sent a reply which said: “I do understand entirely. I don’t want to cause them further upset.

“I just want to find a way to say how sorry I am and repent before them as I have before the Lord.”

The message added: “I will leave it to the Lord and trust that he will find a way.”

The witness said he did not respond to the message and informed Complainant A and her husband.

He told the court: “I did not want to give any impression I was communicating outside of this arrangement behind their back.”

The case will continue on Friday.

Jeffrey Donaldson, a former long-standing MP for Lagan Valley, was arrested and charged at the end of March 2024.

He resigned as DUP leader and was suspended from the party after the allegations emerged.

Weeks before his arrest, he had led the DUP back into devolved government at Stormont after a two-year boycott of the powersharing institutions.