The jury in the sex abuse trial of former Democratic Unionist Party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson began deliberations Thursday afternoon after Judge Paul Ramsey spent roughly two hours summing up the case.
The seven men and five women were instructed to begin their deliberations at 13:20 BST at Newry Crown Court, where the trial has now entered its fourth week, according to BBC News.
Donaldson, 63, has pleaded not guilty to 18 charges, including one count of rape, four counts of gross indecency, and 13 counts of indecent assault. The alleged offenses involve two women and are said to have occurred between 1985 and 2008, when both complainants were children.
Before sending the jury out, Judge Ramsey told jurors that they must be satisfied the prosecution had proven the case beyond reasonable doubt. "Only where you are satisfied beyond reasonable doubt can you convict … that is the law," he said.
Donaldson, wearing a dark suit and a pink tie, sat in the dock with his arms folded as the judge delivered his remarks.
Both alleged victims, referred to in court as Complainants A and B, gave evidence during the trial. Donaldson himself testified over two days.
His wife, Lady Eleanor Donaldson, 60, faces five charges of aiding and abetting the alleged offending. At a pre-trial hearing last month, she was declared unfit for a conventional trial on mental health grounds. She has not participated in proceedings and is instead undergoing a trial of the facts in her absence. The jury will decide whether she committed the acts alleged, but that process cannot result in a criminal conviction.
The Donaldsons were arrested at their County Down home and charged on March 28, 2024.
