Donaldson Lawyer Says 2020 Letter Was Unrelated to 18 Abuse Charges

5 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 29

Newry Crown Court heard Kieran Vaughan KC argue that Sir Jeffrey Donaldson’s June 2020 letter expressing “regret” for “hurt, pain and distress” was not about sexual assault allegations.
Vaughan said Complainant A failed to give police the letter’s “proper context” when she handed it over after a March 2024 interview, and claimed Donaldson was apologising for other “behaviour.”
Complainant A rejected that account, telling jurors she saw the letter as a veiled apology for abuse and denying defence claims that friendly messages between them undermined her allegations.
Donaldson, 63, denies 18 charges including rape; Complainant A alleges abuse between 1999 and 2008, while other charges dating back to 1985 involve a second complainant.
Lady Eleanor Donaldson denies five aiding-and-abetting charges but has been ruled unfit for a conventional trial, so a trial of the facts is proceeding alongside the continuing case.

What 'other behaviour' could explain Sir Jeffrey Donaldson's cryptic letter of regret to his accuser?

If his wife witnessed the alleged abuse and did nothing, is that legally a crime?