Updated / Thursday, 18 Jun 2026 11:41
Jeffrey Donaldson pictured arriving at Newry Crown Court this morning
The judge in the Jeffrey Donaldson sex abuse trial has told the jury they "must not be swayed by sympathy" for either the complainants or the accused as they begin their deliberations on a verdict in the case.
Judge Paul Ramsey is issuing final directions to them on the evidence and points of law.
He is expected to take until lunchtime at which point the jury of five women and seven men will retire to consider their verdicts.
Mr Donaldson, the former DUP leader, is accused of 18 sexual offences against two complainants who claim he abused them as children.
He denies the charges, including one count of rape.
The offences are alleged to have happened between 1985 and 2008.
Judge Ramsey said the prosecution "must bear the burden" of proving the guilt of the defendant to a standard of "beyond a reasonable doubt".
He told them in order to convict they had to be sure.
"Sometimes the phrase firmly convinced is used," he said.
The judge said it was not sufficient to think Mr Donaldson was possibly, probably or likely guilty.
He pointed out that some of the charges faced by Mr Donaldson related to specific incidents.
Others were "specimen charges", which related to a pattern of alleged offending.
He cautioned the jury to decide the case "according to the evidence" not on innuendo, speculation or rumour.
He said they may have strong views on religion and politics but they should not allow that to influence them.
Mr Donaldson's wife is a co-accused in the trial, charged with aiding and abetting her husband's alleged offending.
She is not participating in proceedings due to concerns about her mental health.
She is subject to a non-criminal process called a Trial of the Facts.
The jury cannot convict her but can acquit.
It will be asked to decide whether she committed the acts she is accused of.
Judge Ramsey said four consultant psychiatrists had provided reports to him which indicated that Ms Donaldson was not fit to stand trial.
He said the phrase "trial of the facts" had been the "most googled term" in Northern Ireland last month.
He said it was "unusual" to have a trial of the facts alongside a conventional criminal trial, but it was "not unheard of".
The trial has heard evidence from both complainants and from Mr Donaldson.
Complainant A gave evidence of inappropriate touching and kissing by Mr Donaldson and an alleged incident where he used a light to examine her genitals.
Mr Donaldson denied the sexual assaults and told the jury in evidence there had been an innocent explanation for the latter incident, which had been misinterpreted.
Complainant B told the trial she had been raped as a child of primary school age by Mr Donaldson and later sexually assaulted by him.
The former MP denied that any of that had happened.
The case continues.
Read the full article at RTÉ News →
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