By Paul Higgins
Alleged paedophile couple Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and his wife Lady Eleanor today (wed) denied allegations of rape and historic sex abuse.
Standing side by side in the dock of Newry Crown Court, this is the first time that 61-year-old Donaldson and his 58-year-old wife have been asked to formally enter pleas and having confirmed their names and dates of birth, they then entered not guilty pleas to each of the charges against them.
While Sir Jeffrey faces 18 counts including one of rape, 13 of indecent assault and four of gross indecency, Lady Eleanor faces five charges including one child cruelty and four of aiding and abetting her husband in rape and sexual abuse.
Leaning into the microphone the former DUP leader and MP said simply not guilty when the charges were put to him.
Lady Eleanor also lent into the mic to deny the offences but two charges were not put to the 58-year-old, aiding and abetting rape and the child cruelty offence and defence KC Ian Tarkington revealed they would be the subject of no bill applications.
The first ten charges against Sir Jeffrey, spanning dates between January 1987 and January 1991, relate to the first complaint and include one charge of rape and nine of indecent assault.
The remaining eight charges, four of indecent assault and four of committing acts of gross indecency towards a child, relate to a second alleged victim who was subjected to sex abuse between 1 January 2005 and 1 January 2007.
Lady Eleanor faces five charges including aiding and abetting her husband in rape, three charges of aiding and abetting Sir Jeffrey in the indecent assault of the first complaint and one count of child cruelty in relation to the second complainant in that she allegedly wilfully neglected and exposed her “in a manner likely to cause her unnecessary suffering or injury to health.
The particulars of the aiding and abetting rape charge alleges that Sir Jeffrey raped the female and that “knowing that she did not so consent or being reckless as to whether the said person so consented” and that Lady Eleanor “did aid, abet, counsel and procure the commission of the said offence.”
Following the arraignment, prosecuting KC Rosemary Walsh said the trial had been scheduled to start on 24 March next year and the trial would take around two weeks to hear.
She told Judge Paul Ramsey KC “working back from that there are a number of other legal applications that the parties would wish some time to consider” so she suggested the case could be reviewed in around six weeks.
Ms Walsh further suggested that the argument over Mr Turkington’s no bill applications could be time tabled at that point and there was broad agreement to that.
Addressing the defendants directly, Judge Ramsey told them the case would be reviewed on 25 October and although they would not be required to attend for that, he advised them to “keep in touch” with their legal teams as to when they would be required to attend again.
ENDS
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