Woman who alleges Jeffrey Donaldson rape ‘tried not to be a victim’, courts hears

Jeffrey Donaldson arriving at Newry Crown Court, where he and his wife Eleanor Donaldson are accused of historical sexual offences. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

A woman who claims she was raped as a child by Jeffrey Donaldson has said she should have brought the alleged abuse to police years earlier but had “tried not to be a victim”.

Continuing to give evidence at Newry Crown Court, the woman also denied she had raised the allegations as a teenager as a way of getting out of attending a Christian centre in Co Antrim.

The woman, known as complainant B, is the older of two alleged victims who have accused the former DUP leader of sexual abuse.

The court has previously heard details of her claim that she was raped when of primary school age by the former politician.

Ten of the 18 sex abuse charges Mr Donaldson denies relate to complainant B, with the offences allegedly committed between 1985 and 1991.

Eleanor Donaldson, from Dublinhill Road, Dromore, Co Down, denies several charges of aiding and abetting her husband’s alleged offending.

She is facing a trial of the facts.

On Wednesday morning, barrister for Jeffrey Donaldson, Kieran Vaughan KC, resumed his cross-examination of complainant B at Newry Crown Court.

Mr Donaldson sat in the dock at the back of the courtroom.

Mr Vaughan said that complainant B had been sent to the Christian Family Centre in Armoy after she had started to take drugs in her teenage years.

She told the court that she had taken ecstasy and marijuana, but denied that she was addicted to the substances.

He said: “That is the background to how you ended up in Armoy.” She responded: “Yes.” 

He said: “You didn’t enjoy being taken to Armoy at that time?” 

She said: “I didn’t know anybody … it was so far away.” 

Complainant B added that she originally thought her issues could have been “dealt with at home”, but said going there “turned out probably one of the best things that ever happened to me”.

The barrister said while at the centre, complainant B had spoken to a woman at the facility.

The witness confirmed she had told her about alleged abuse by Mr Donaldson, but did not go into details.

Mr Vaughan said: “Did you tell her it was sexual abuse?” 

She said: “I am pretty sure I did.” When asked if she had told her about the alleged rape, the woman said she had never told anybody about that before she reported it to police.

The barrister asked: “Was this in some way a part of you trying to get out of Armoy?” 

She responded: “No, I had friends up there … it wasn’t that in any way whatsoever.” Asked if it was an attempt to deflect, she said “definitely not”.

The barrister said she had then spoken to a pastor at the centre about the allegations.

She said: “I felt he was a safe person to say this to.” Mr Vaughan asked why her conversation with the pastor was not in her statement to police.

She said: “It was just something I forgot about … I should have remembered.” 

The barrister asked her if she remembered the pastor suggesting going to the police.

She said: “I don’t remember that.” 

The barrister asked her if she had told the pastor not to go to police, and that if he did, she would say it was “all a lie”.

She said: “I don’t remember that … if I did it would have been the stupidest thing I ever said.” 

Complainant B added: “I should have said ‘please go, I will go with you’.” 

“I should have, I was so afraid of this, of what this is.

“I didn’t want it to be made a thing of, I was so embarrassed.” She added: “I tried to move on, to be the bigger person.

“I tried not to be the victim, I tried to build a life.” 

Jeffrey Donaldson (right) accompanied by his solicitor John McBurney, leaves Newry Crown Court, where he and his wife Eleanor Donaldson are accused of historical sexual offences. Picture: Liam McBurney/PA Wire

Complainant B said she blamed herself for the later alleged abuse of the other complainant in the case because she did not go to the police earlier.

She said: “It is my fault what happened.” 

The court had previously heard complainant B state that Mr Donaldson had met her while she was staying at the Christian centre and apologised.

The barrister asked her if she remembered saying during this meeting that Mr Donaldson “hadn’t made her comfortable”.

She said she did not remember.

He asked her if she remembered Mr Donaldson saying “if that was the way he made her feel, then he apologised”.

She said: “The reason why he was there was to apologise … he pushed my legs apart, that is the truth of what had happened.” 

After lunch, Complainant B was cross-examined by Ian Turkington KC, who represents Eleanor Donaldson in the proceedings.

He referred to two alleged incidents of abuse, the first where Complainant B said she was raped by Jeffrey Donaldson and the second where she claimed that he had touched her breasts. She alleges that Eleanor Donaldson witnessed part of the second incident.

Concerning the first incident, Mr Turkington suggested it was a “figment of your imagination”.

She responded: “You are suggesting that, but that is not true. My account is the truth.” Turning to the second incident, the barrister suggested “at no stage” did Eleanor Donaldson “ever see anybody touching your breasts”.

The woman said: “She looked directly at me.” 

Mr Turkington said “over the years, Eleanor had asked Jeffrey many times about what had happened”.

He said Eleanor had not seen anything specific but had reported there was “something she didn’t like going on”.

The witness said: “I didn’t know any of that detail.” 

Mr Turkington said Eleanor Donaldson had told police: “It didn’t sit well with me, but I couldn’t get anywhere with it.” 

Complainant B said Eleanor Donaldson should have “stood up and defended me”.

The barrister then questioned her about how her memory of the alleged incidents had “evolved” since counselling sessions in 2008.

She said: “I locked them (memories) away, there is a reason why I did drugs and all those stupid things when I was a teenager.” 

The trial continues.