Prosecutor outlines case against former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson

Jeffrey Donaldson sexually assaulted a child and apologised to her years later at a church-brokered meeting, a court has heard. The former MP and Democratic Unionist party leader allegedly committed the abuse with complicity from his wife, Eleanor Donaldson, a prosecutor told Newry crown court, in County Down, on Wednesday. The accusations were spelled out on the second day of one of the most high-profile trials in Northern Ireland’s recent history. Donaldson, 63, is charged with 18 sexual offences, including one count of rape. The charges span from 1985 to 2008 and involve two alleged victims. His wife, 60, is charged with aiding and abetting rape and indecent assault. Both deny all the charges. Donaldson sat in the dock flanked by two court staff and took notes while Rosemary Walsh, the prosecutor, outlined the state’s case. Eleanor Donaldson, who has been judged unfit to stand trial on mental health grounds, was not present. She is facing a trial of the facts, which tests the evidence but cannot result in a criminal conviction. The two sets of proceedings will happen simultaneously, with different legal teams representing the husband and wife. Addressing a jury of five women and seven men, Walsh outlined the evidence that would be presented during the trial, which is expected to last about four weeks. …