Donaldson Denies Abuse Meeting
Former DUP Leader Jeffrey Donaldson Denies Cover-Up Meeting in Abuse Trial
Key Points
Court heard that Complainant B had stayed at the Christian Family Centre in Armoy during the 1990s after developing a drugs-related issue, before a pastor introduced her to David Hoy and arranged the meeting with Jeffrey Donaldson.
Cross-examination focused on whether the Hoy approach was suspicious. Donaldson told the jury he “get[s] lots of phone calls from people I have never met before in the course of my political work” and denied filtering his calls, saying, “I don’t actually. I have given my phone number out to many people over the years.”
On Eleanor Donaldson’s status: Judge Paul Ramsey ruled her unfit to stand trial on mental health grounds, and the subsequent “trial of the facts” will test evidence but “cannot result in a criminal conviction”; Eleanor will not appear in court during that process.
The prosecution asked Donaldson whether he took control of the meeting and “shut her down,” with Rosemary Walsh KC framing his conduct as involving knowing what the meeting concerned. Donaldson denied this characterisation, saying the allegation-framing was not true to what happened (“It’s not true to characterise this meeting as I somehow took control”).
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the former Democratic Unionist Party leader on trial for 18 historical sexual offences, took the stand at Newry Crown Court on June 11–12 and flatly denied attending a 1990s meeting with an accuser to suppress abuse claims. "It just didn't happen, I am absolutely crystal clear about that," he told the court, according to UTV News.
Donaldson, 63, faces charges spanning 1985 to 2008 — including one count of rape, 13 counts of indecent assault, and four counts of gross indecency — involving two female complainants. He has pleaded not guilty to all 18 counts, according to The Guardian.
The Late-1990s Meeting at the Heart of the Case
Prosecutor Rosemary Walsh KC pressed Donaldson on a meeting arranged by David Hoy, manager of the Christian Family Centre in Armoy, after Complainant B — who had stayed at the centre while dealing with a drug-related issue — told a pastor about alleged abuse. Walsh argued the meeting was designed to "nip in the bud" claims that could derail Donaldson's rising political career, according to BBC News.
Donaldson rejected that framing entirely. He told the jury he receives unsolicited calls regularly: "I get lots of phone calls from people I have never met before in the course of my political work. I don't actually filter my calls — I have given my phone number out to many people over the years," he said, as reported by The Journal.
Donaldson Disputes the Apology and Hoy's Account
Walsh put it to Donaldson that he "took control" of the meeting and "shut her down" — arguing he knew exactly why he was there. Donaldson denied this. "It's not true to characterise this meeting as I somehow took control," he said, according to Yahoo News UK.
The prosecution also challenged Donaldson over an alleged apology at the meeting. Donaldson testified that any "sorry" was about whether the complainant had felt uncomfortable — not an admission of wrongdoing. He also said David Hoy's evidence about the meeting's purpose was simply "mistaken," turning Hoy from a neutral go-between into a key disputed witness, according to Newsy Today.
Eleanor Donaldson's Parallel 'Trial of the Facts'
Donaldson's wife Eleanor, 60, is not facing a standard criminal trial. Judge Paul Ramsey ruled her unfit to stand trial on mental health grounds. She now faces a "trial of the facts" — a legal process under the Criminal Procedure (Insanity) Act that tests whether she committed the alleged acts but cannot result in a criminal conviction or prison sentence, according to The Irish Post.
Eleanor Donaldson has denied aiding and abetting her husband's alleged offending. Her defense has suggested her earlier claims to police of being on "red alert" regarding her husband stemmed from suspicions of infidelity, not knowledge of abuse, according to The Irish Times.
High-Profile Trial Shakes Northern Ireland's Political Landscape
Donaldson was one of Northern Ireland's most powerful politicians. He helped negotiate the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and, just weeks before his March 28, 2024 arrest, brokered the DUP's return to the Stormont power-sharing executive after a two-year boycott. His arrest sent immediate shockwaves through unionist politics, according to Reuters.
The trial, which began May 27, 2026, is expected to last roughly four weeks. The jury of 12 — seven men and five women — heard the prosecution conclude its case on June 9 after three weeks of evidence, including pre-recorded testimony from both complainants. Advocacy groups such as Nexus NI have praised the complainants' "courage and bravery" in bringing the case, according to The Independent.
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