The jury in the sex abuse trial of former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has viewed video recordings of police interviews with one of his alleged victims, Complainant A. In the interviews, she described multiple alleged encounters, including a kiss where she claimed he put his tongue in her mouth.
These recordings, known as Achieving Best Evidence (ABE) interviews, were conducted three weeks before his arrest in March 2024. Sir Jeffrey, 63, denies 18 charges involving two alleged victims who were children at the time, including one count of rape.
He faces eight charges related to Complainant A, alleged to have occurred between 1999 and 2008, comprising four counts of gross indecency and four counts of indecent assault.
In the ABE interviews, Complainant A stated, "I, from quite a young age, was, I think, sexually abused by Jeffrey Donaldson." She alleged he made comments about her breast size and recalled a five-second kiss "which really stood out."
"He put his tongue in my mouth and moved it around before I was able to push him off. The kiss was not a pleasant thing," she told officers. She claimed he dismissed the incident as "just a joke."
She further alleged that Sir Jeffrey used a bright light, possibly a torch, to look at her private parts, making her feel "really frightened." During this part of the interview, she became tearful.
Complainant A also alleged that Sir Jeffrey put his hands under her bra and rubbed her breasts. She said that as an adult, she realized these incidents were abnormal and described having to watch him receive "accolade after accolade" in public life. She recalled being sexually aware from a young age and experiencing nightmares "about men doing horrible things to children."
She told police that she later confronted Sir Jeffrey as an adult. "I said: 'Can you confirm this happened to me?' He didn't say anything. He just nodded his head and looked at the floor. He couldn't look at me. There was a silence."
Both Sir Jeffrey and his wife, Lady Eleanor Donaldson, were arrested at their home in County Down and charged on March 28, 2024. He resigned as DUP leader the next day and did not contest his Lagan Valley seat in the general election four months later.
In total, Sir Jeffrey faces charges of rape, four counts of gross indecency, and 13 counts of indecent assault. Lady Donaldson faces a trial of the facts on five related charges of aiding and abetting, which she has denied. She was found unfit for a conventional trial under the Mental Health (Northern Ireland) Order and will not participate in proceedings.