Overview
- Donaldson, who was arrested in March 2024, has pleaded not guilty to 18 historical sexual‑offence charges, including one count of rape, linked to two complainants for events said to have occurred between 1985 and 2008.
- On Thursday and Friday he gave sworn evidence denying every allegation and repeatedly told the jury that the rape claim and other accusations "simply did not happen."
- Prosecution and defence are clashing over a June 2020 letter in which Donaldson expressed "regret" for causing "hurt, pain and distress," with Donaldson saying the letter did not refer to sexual abuse.
- The court is hearing disputed accounts of a 1990s meeting at the Christian Family Centre in Armoy where the centre’s founder said an "allegation" was made but Donaldson says the word was never used and that he did not try to "nip" claims "in the bud."
- Lady Eleanor Donaldson has been found unfit for criminal trial and faces a trial of the facts that cannot result in conviction, and the ongoing proceedings at Newry Crown Court carry major political and personal consequences as cross‑examination continues and the trial is expected to last several more weeks.