Jeffrey Donaldson, 63, has pleaded not guilty to 18 historical sexual offence charges dating from 1985 to 2008. The allegations include rape, gross indecency, and indecent assault involving two alleged victims. His wife, Eleanor Donaldson, is charged with aiding and abetting and has pleaded not guilty. A judge ruled Eleanor Donaldson medically unfit to stand trial, so a trial of the facts will proceed without her, and it cannot result in a criminal conviction. Proceedings against both Donaldsons run simultaneously before Judge Paul Ramsey with the same jury. Evidence includes a letter written by Donaldson in June 2020 expressing regret, taking responsibility, and apologising for hurt and distress caused.
"Donaldson (63) has pleaded not guilty to 18 alleged historical sex offence charges dating from 1985 to 2008. He is accused of rape and several counts of gross indecency and of indecent assault. The charges span a time period between 1985 and 2008 involving two alleged victims."
"His wife Eleanor Donaldson, of Dublinhill Road, Dromore in Co Down, is charged with aiding and abetting. She denies the charges. She will not be in court and is facing a trial of the facts, after the trial judge Paul Ramsey ruled she was medically unfit to stand trial. The trial of the facts will test the evidence in the case but cannot result in a criminal conviction."
"Evidence On Thursday, the court heard that Jeffrey Donaldson wrote a letter to a woman who has accused him of sexually abusing her as a child expressing "regret" for "all the hurt, pain and distress I have caused". The woman told the court that she had thought the letter was an attempt by the former DUP leader "to apologise for perhaps the abuse which had occurred"."
"In the letter, Mr Donaldson expressed "how much I truly regret all the hurt, pain and distressed [sic] I have caused". It 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.""
#historical-sexual-offences #trial-of-the-facts #aiding-and-abetting #rape-and-indecency-allegations #court-proceedings
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