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Sir Jeffrey Donaldson was told today that “the only person telling lies is you” as he took the evidence stand at Newry Crown Court for the second day.
Today Sir Jeffrey insisted that he was not “deceitful by nature,” as he claimed emphatically that alleged historical sex abuse offences “did not happen.”
Sir Jeffrey was on the witness stand for five hours on Friday, his second consecutive day under cross-examination.
It is the third week of the trial of the former leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).
The former MP, 63, has pleaded not guilty to 18 alleged offences, which include one count of rape and allegations of indecent assault and gross indecency during a time period which span from 1985 to 2008, involving two alleged victims.
The female witnesses A and B allege they were abused as children.
Sir Jeffrey’s wife, Lady Eleanor Donaldson, 60, denies several charges of aiding and abetting her husband’s alleged offending and has been judged unfit to stand trial on mental health grounds. She is therefore facing a trial of the facts, which cannot result in a criminal conviction.
The court has previously heard evidence about a letter Donaldson wrote to witness A in June 2020, where he spoke about his “regret” over the “hurt, pain and distress I have caused.”
His defence and Donaldson argued on Friday that the letter does not relate to any alleged abuse, but is about other matters.
Giving evidence on his own behalf, Donaldson again read extracts of the letter to the court on Friday.
Witness B has alleged that she was raped by Donaldson. Responding to this, he told the jury on Thursday: “It just didn’t happen. I am absolutely crystal clear about that. It is not something I would ever have done. It is just simply not true.”
He also rejected suggestions that his wife had witnessed the abuse but did not intervene.
Today was the second day of cross-examination by prosecution barrister Rosemary Walsh KC.
The trial heard that both alleged victims reported their allegations to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) in March 2024.
Donaldson was asked today in relation to witness A about claims that he had allegedly touched her breasts and put his tongue in her mouth. He said these things “absolutely did not happen.”
He was also asked about an allegation that he used a light, possibly from a torch, to look at her genitals. He said that “absolutely nothing of that sort took place.”
Rosemary Walsh KC suggested, “You, Mr Donaldson, were caught in the act [by the alleged victim].”
However Donaldson told the barrister that there was “no issue of me looking at her genitals, shining a light on her genitals, absolutely nothing of that sort took place.”
The barrister said: “You were looking at her genitals” to which he responded, “No,” adding: “I was not shining a light in her eyes or any other part of her body.”
The court heard claims that alleged sexual abuse of witness A started “outside her clothes” before moving underneath. In response to these allegations, Donaldson responded, “No, no, no.”
Donaldson, who was dressed in a navy suit and blue tie, remained calm throughout his hours spent under cross-examination, denied this. He said that he was not writing to the woman “to seek forgiveness for sexual abuse.”
”There is no reference whatsoever in that letter to any alleged sexual abuse. The letter was not written for that purpose,” said Donaldson, who claimed he “wanted the opportunity to say sorry” for other things.
Mr Donaldson, giving evidence on his own behalf, said that his wife Lady Eleanor had to take on a lot on her own, due to his work in politics.
“In that respect, he said, I should have been there more as a husband,” added Donaldson.
It came as the court previously heard that a bugging device was put in Sir Jeffrey’s car after his wife found “flirtatious” texts from another woman on his phone – 12 years after he had a brief affair with a “divorcee” in London in 2008.
He said that his wife was “upset” with the messages, and as a result, there was a period where they were not speaking to each other. Donaldson said his wife felt he had “gone behind her back” in communicating with the woman, and that she was upset by the “nature of the messages” the woman had sent him.
Donaldson said he would have responded to the messages, “but not in a flirtatious way.” He said that he had been “open” about his past infidelity.
“I didn’t try to keep that a secret,” he told the trial.
Asked about allegations that he had made “inappropriate verbal remarks” to witness A, regarding “the size of her breasts,” Donaldson said: “That did not happen.” He also said that “improper” behaviour that referred to him allegedly touching her breasts and kissing her “certainly never happened.”
While Donaldson repeatedly denied the allegations put to him, the barrister told him: “The only person telling lies is you, Mr Donaldson.”
The barrister questioned what motive witness A would have for making such allegations, telling Donaldson: “You abused her.”
“That is not true. No, I did not,” responded the former politician.
The trial continues on Monday.
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