1 hour ago 5 minutes ago
Lyndsey TelfordBBC News NI, astatine Newry Crown Court
PA Media
The 2 women accusing Sir Jeffrey Donaldson of sexually abusing them arsenic children person been described arsenic "not sufficiently reliable" for the assemblage to scope a blameworthy verdict.
The erstwhile Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader's defence barrister Kieran Vaughan KC told the assemblage determination were "significant and cardinal issues" with each of the complainants.
Sir Jeffrey has pleaded not blameworthy to 18 enactment maltreatment charges, including 1 number of rape, allegedly committed betwixt 1985 and 2008.
His wife, Lady Eleanor Donaldson, denies 5 related charges of aiding and abetting.
She is facing a proceedings of the facts and is not participating successful proceedings.
In his closing speech, Vaughan urged the assemblage to "ignore the noise" and "focus connected the evidence".
He said: "We accidental you volition spot determination are cardinal and important issues with each of these complainants… they are not sufficiently reliable capable successful bid to thrust you to a definite decision that helium is guilty."
Vaughan began his closing code connected Tuesday erstwhile helium addressed the grounds of Complainant B, the older of the 2 alleged victims.
On Wednesday, helium stepped the assemblage done Complainant A's evidence, telling it she was a "very, precise unreliable witness" and not 1 they could "safely trust upon".
Vaughan said Complainant A was "somebody who's susceptible of leaving things retired of her grounds if she thinks it suits her ain ends".
He added: "She's besides susceptible of adding things successful if it suits her ain ends."
He referred to a missive written by Sir Jeffrey to the complainant successful 2020, which the proceedings antecedently heard she believed was an apology for the alleged abuse.
Vaughan told the assemblage the complainant had not mentioned the discourse of the letter.
The proceedings antecedently heard from Sir Jeffrey that the missive had thing to bash with the allegations.
Vaughan besides pointed retired that the complainant failed successful her constabulary interrogation to notation alleged maltreatment she is said to person experienced astatine the hands of different man.
He said that omission had "the hallmarks of a witnesser trying to represent a definite picture".
He added "an honorable witnesser would person thing to hide" and would "paint a fuller picture".
Vaughan said Complainant A's allegation of an encounter, successful which the tribunal was antecedently told Sir Jeffrey allegedly utilized a airy to look astatine her backstage parts, had been a "misunderstanding".
He said that contempt what the complainant "suspects" happened, the grounds showed that "nothing happened".
He said: "I invitation you to see her ain words due to the fact that you'll callback what she told constabulary astatine interrogation was: 'I conscionable was precise confused, I wasn't rather definite what had conscionable happened.'"
He asked the jury: "If she can't beryllium sure, if she's confused, however could you perchance beryllium sure?"
He said her different claims, which the proceedings antecedently heard included Sir Jeffrey allegedly kissing her with his lingua and his alleged rubbing of her breasts, "didn't happen".
He said her relationship of an incidental successful which Sir Jeffrey allegedly rubbed her breasts lacked "any semblance of credibility".
He said of Complainant A's relationship of the incident, and an archetypal assertion that Lady Donaldson witnessed it, that she "stuck it successful reverse" portion nether transverse examination.
He pointed retired that the complainant had primitively suggested that Lady Donaldson witnessed the alleged touching.
But erstwhile questioned further, helium said, the complainant claimed she "couldn't tell" what Lady Donaldson saw.
"That speech connected that contented demonstrates that she's susceptible of saying a unspeakable untruth," Vaughan said.
He added: "To the adjacent time saying 'I wasn't saying that' – we accidental that isn't a witnesser you tin safely reply upon."
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Lady Donaldson arriving to a tribunal proceeding successful 2025
The tribunal past heard from Lady Donaldson's barrister Ian Turkington KC.
Lady Donaldson is facing a proceedings of the facts aft she was antecedently deemed unfit to look a accepted proceedings connected intelligence wellness grounds.
In his closing speech, helium reminded the assemblage that Lady Donaldson was excessively unwell to enactment successful the proceedings.
"Eleanor Donaldson has not chosen not to beryllium here," helium said.
"She hasn't chosen not to support herself. And she hasn't chosen not to travel present and wide her name."
He told the members of the assemblage that they were the "gatekeepers" and "guards against immoderate hazard of a miscarriage of justice".
He said they needed to beryllium definite that the prosecution had proved its lawsuit beyond tenable doubt.
"We accidental connected the spot of the evidence, that's simply not possible," helium said.
Turkington said the "picture the prosecution" was asking the assemblage to spot successful its lawsuit against Lady Donaldson was not clear.
He said each the assemblage had to spell connected was the accounts of the complainants.
He besides questioned the "delay" betwixt erstwhile the alleged maltreatment was said to person occurred and erstwhile the complainants yet reported their allegations to the police.
He questioned however reliable their memories could beryllium implicit specified a agelong play of time.
Sir Jeffrey denies acts of gross indecency and indecent battle against Complainant A erstwhile she was a child, betwixt 1999 and 2008.
He besides denies different alleged offences dating backmost to 1985, including a complaint of rape, against Complainant B.
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