Sir Jeffrey Donaldson wrote letter to alleged sex abuse victim expressing 'regret', court hears

Former DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson wrote a letter to a woman who has accused him of sexually abusing her as a child expressing his "regret" for "all the hurt, pain and distress I have caused", his trial has heard.

The woman told Newry Crown Court she had thought the letter was an attempt by the former MP, 63, "to apologise for perhaps the abuse which had occurred".

Under cross-examination by Sir Jeffrey's barrister, the woman later told the trial she had been sexually abused by another man when she was a child.

Sir Jeffrey is accused of rape and several counts of gross indecency and of indecent assault.

He has pleaded not guilty to the 18 alleged offences, which span a time period between 1985 and 2008 and involve two alleged victims.

Sir Jeffrey's wife, Lady Eleanor Donaldson, denies several charges of aiding and abetting her husband's alleged offending. She is facing a trial of the facts.

Prosecuting barrister Rosemary Walsh KC read out a letter which the first witness in the trial, known as Complainant A, said had been written to her by Sir Jeffrey in June 2020.

In it, he expressed "how much I truly regret all the hurt, pain and distress I have caused".

The letter added: "I wish I could find the right words to adequately express just how sorry I am for all of this… I take full responsibility for it all."

The jury heard Sir Jeffrey described himself in the letter as a "sinner" and said he had failed to address his "sinful nature for far too many years".

The letter continued: "I will regret this to my dying day." It added: "I understand how deep the wounds are caused by my sinful and selfish actions."

Ms Walsh asked Complainant A what she believed the letter was about and she replied: "I felt he was trying to apologise for perhaps the abuse which had occurred, but he didn't want to say that formally in writing.

"It felt like an apology letter and it felt like it was written with a lot of guilt."

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Police interview played to jury

The evidence began earlier on Thursday, with the video of a police interview with Complainant A from March 2024 - weeks before the Donaldsons were arrested - played to the jury.

In the interview the complainant said she had been of primary school age when Sir Jeffrey was "physical" with her.

She said that from a primary school age Sir Jeffrey had put his hand up her top and this "happened for quite a while".

Sir Jeffrey made comments about the size of her breasts as she got older, she added.

She said she remembered a "significant event" when she was a young teenager when Sir Jeffrey "perched" over the top of her, holding a light and had looked at her "private parts".

"I couldn't move initially because I didn't know what had happened," she said.

On another occasion Sir Jeffrey kissed her and put his tongue in her mouth, she said, adding that this and similar incidents were "very much laughed off as a joke".

Complainant A said when she was in her 20s, she understood the behaviour she claimed had taken place was "not normal", adding: "I became very angry."

'It is insulting'

Sir Jeffrey's barrister Kieran Vaughan KC asked Complainant A why she had not told police about another incident when she was sexually abused by another man when she was of primary school age.

She said she saw it as the "lesser of two evils".

Mr Vaughan pointed out in her police interview Complainant A had said events were "very unclear", but she said she had "great clarity" about some events, while others were "foggy".

The barrister suggested she may either have "fabricated" the abuse or else "dreamt it and over the years come to believe it is true".

She said: "To imply someone would dream things without a reason is ridiculous, it is insulting."

The trial continues on Friday. It is expected to last between three and four weeks.

Lady Donaldson is facing a trial of the facts, which is not a criminal trial and cannot result in a criminal conviction, after Judge Paul Ramsey ruled her unfit to stand trial on mental health grounds.

Sir Jeffrey, formerly a long-standing MP for Lagan Valley, was charged in March 2024.

He resigned as DUP leader and was suspended from the party after the allegations emerged.

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