Overview
- Jurors began their deliberations on Thursday after four weeks of evidence at Newry Crown Court in a case that covers alleged offences between 1985 and 2008.
- Prosecutors told the court the two complainants remembered distinctive incidents and asked jurors to apply common sense to decades‑old memories.
- The defence argued the complainants are not sufficiently reliable, pointed to inconsistencies in interviews and testimony, and highlighted the lack of forensic or medical evidence.
- Lady Eleanor Donaldson was ruled unfit for a conventional criminal trial and is facing a separate trial of the facts that can establish whether acts occurred but cannot lead to conviction.
- If the jury cannot be sure beyond reasonable doubt the charges are proved, the defendant must be acquitted, and the case will continue to have political and personal repercussions given Donaldson’s high public profile.