Jury in Sir Jeffrey Donaldson sex abuse trial to continue deliberations on Friday

Jury in Sir Jeffrey Donaldson sex abuse trial to continue deliberations on Friday20 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleJulian O'NeillCrime and justice correspondent, BBC News NI

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The jury in the sex abuse trial of Sir Jeffrey Donaldson have not yet reached a verdict and will continue their deliberations on Friday morning.

The seven men and five women were sent out by Judge Paul Ramsey to begin their deliberations at about 13:20 BST.

The former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader has pleaded not guilty to 18 charges, including one count of rape, arising from allegations he sexually abused two women when they were children.

The trial at Newry Crown Court is in its fourth week.

His wife, Lady Eleanor Donaldson, denies five charges of aiding and abetting his alleged offending.

Earlier, the judge spent about two hours summing up the case on Thursday morning.

He said jurors must be satisfied that the prosecution had proven the case against Sir Jeffrey beyond reasonable doubt before they could convict.

"That is the law," he added.

Sir Jeffrey, wearing a dark suit and a pink tie, sat in the dock with his arms folded while the judge delivered his remarks.

The alleged victims, Complainants A and B, have both given evidence at the trial.

Sir Jeffrey also testified over two days.

The Donaldsons were arrested at their County Down home and charged on 28 March 2024.

Sir Jeffrey, 63, is accused of rape, four counts of gross indecency and 13 counts of indecent assault.

The offences allegedly occurred between 1985 and 2008.

At a pre-trial hearing last month, Lady Donaldson, 60, was declared unfit for a conventional trial on mental health grounds.

She has not participated in proceedings and instead is undergoing a trial of the facts in her absence.

The jury will decide if she committed the acts alleged, but it cannot result in a criminal conviction.

Sir Jeffrey DonaldsonNorthern Ireland