Jury set to begin deliberations in sex offence trial of Northern Ireland's Donaldson

June 17 - The jury in the trial of former Northern Ireland politician Jeffrey Donaldson for historical sex offences is set to begin its deliberations on Thursday after his defence closed its case following four weeks of evidence at Newry Crown Court.

Donaldson, one of the British-run region's best-known politicians when he was arrested and charged in March 2024, has pleaded not guilty to one count of rape, 13 counts of indecent assault and four counts of gross indecency. He stepped down as head of Northern Ireland's largest unionist party upon his arrest.

His lawyer Kieran Vaughan argued that there was no forensic, medical or witness evidence of the events that two complainants allege took place between 1985 and 2008.

The allegation that the former Democratic Unionist Party leader, 63, raped one of the complainants was "bereft of detail", Vaughan said.

"This case comes down to one word or two words from two complainants against Mr Donaldson's word," Vaughan told the court in his closing remarks.

Donaldson, who was Northern Ireland's longest-serving lawmaker in the British parliament at the time of his arrest, took the stand last week to deny the charges.

Prosecutors said the two complainants, neither of whom can be identified for legal reasons, had suppressed and locked away their feelings for years and had no reason to lie having finally decided to "put their heads above the parapet."

Prosecution lawyer Rosemary Walsh said that while neither of the complainants had full and clear recollections, they remembered "distinctive incidents" and that the jury had to apply common sense to events alleged to have taken place up to 41 years ago.

"What the evidence shows when it is pieced together is that they are telling the truth about what happened to them," Walsh said on Tuesday.

The court ruled last month that Donaldson's wife, Eleanor Donaldson, was unfit to stand trial on charges including aiding and abetting rape due to mental health issues. She denied the charges.

Eleanor Donaldson has instead faced a concurrent trial of the facts, where the jury will be asked to decide whether or not the accused committed an offence, rather than whether they are guilty or not guilty. REUTERS