A second woman who alleges that former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson abused her as a child has begun giving evidence at his trial in Newry Crown Court, where she described claims that he raped her during her childhood.
The woman, whose identity is protected by law, is referred to in court as Complainant B. On Tuesday morning, jurors heard a recorded police interview in which she detailed allegations of sexual abuse she says took place when she was of primary school age.
During the interview, which lasted more than an hour, the complainant described an alleged incident in which she said Mr Donaldson raped her. She told detectives that she had pretended to be asleep because she was frightened and uncertain about what might happen. According to her account, there had been previous occasions when Mr Donaldson had allegedly touched her underneath her underwear, but she said this particular incident felt “different”.
“I didn’t know what was going to happen,” she said in the interview, adding that she realised “this is new, this is different”.
The woman alleged that Mr Donaldson pulled her legs apart and abused her using both his hands and his penis. She told police she vividly remembered hearing his breathing during the incident, describing it as “laboured” and “panting”.
She said she hoped that by pretending to remain asleep the abuse would stop. “I just wanted to scream out leave me alone, but I didn’t,” she told detectives.
The complainant also said she had never disclosed the alleged abuse to anyone at the time, except to what she described as an “imaginary friend”. At several points during the interview, she became emotional while recounting her experiences.
Mr Donaldson has denied all allegations against him and has pleaded not guilty to 18 sexual offence charges, including one count of rape. Ten of the charges relate to allegations involving Complainant B, including the rape allegation and nine counts of indecent assault. The alleged offences are said to have occurred between January 1985 and January 1991.
His wife, Eleanor Donaldson, has pleaded not guilty to five charges of aiding and abetting the alleged offences. However, she has been deemed medically unfit to stand trial because of mental health issues. While she will not participate in the proceedings, the jury will still be asked to decide whether she carried out the alleged offences, although she cannot be convicted or imprisoned.
