Victim's Husband Breaks Down in Donaldson Trial as Ex-MP Denies 18 Abuse Charges
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · Jun 4
Victim's Husband Breaks Down in Donaldson Trial as Ex-MP Denies 18 Abuse Charges
3 articles · Updated · BBC.com · Jun 4
Summary
A prosecution witness broke down in tears at Newry Crown Court as he recounted the moment his wife, Complainant A, told him Sir Jeffrey Donaldson had abused her.
He said she described inappropriate touching, kisses "with his tongue" and one incident in which Donaldson allegedly looked at her private parts, adding that she was "scared" and had never told anyone before.
Under cross-examination, the husband said the allegations were not reported earlier because his wife was still processing years of trauma and that both of them were "terrified."
Donaldson denies 18 charges, including gross indecency and indecent assault allegations tied to Complainant A between 1999 and 2008; separate allegations dating to 1985, including rape, involve a second complainant.
Lady Eleanor Donaldson also faces five aiding-and-abetting charges, though her case is set for a trial of the facts on mental health grounds.