Published • loading... • Updated
Women in Donaldson Case 'Not Reliable Enough', Jury Told
Defence barrister Kieran Vaughan KC said the two complainants were not sufficiently reliable and urged jurors to acquit Donaldson on 18 sex abuse charges.
- Defense barrister Kieran Vaughan KC told jurors the two women accusing Sir Jeffrey Donaldson are "not sufficiently reliable" for a guilty verdict, citing "significant and fundamental issues" with each complainant's account.
- Donaldson faces 18 charges, including rape, indecent assault, and gross indecency, allegedly committed between 1985 and 2008; his wife, Lady Eleanor Donaldson, faces a trial of the facts for five aiding and abetting charges.
- Vaughan urged the jury to "ignore the noise" and focus on evidence, describing the complainants as "connected" witnesses who exchanged texts saying "two voices are better than one" before reporting allegations the same day.
- Defense barrister Ian Turkington argued evidence against Lady Donaldson is not "clear" and urged jurors to "bring an end to this nightmare" for her, noting she was deemed medically unfit for a standard trial.
- Judge Paul Ramsey will deliver his charge to the jury on Thursday before jurors retire to consider verdicts on all charges against Donaldson and Lady Donaldson.
Insights by Ground AI
Podcasts & Opinions
13 Articles
13 Articles
Evening Standard+3 Reposted by 3 other sources
Judge begins summary of evidence in Jeffrey Donaldson sex offences trial
The jury will retire to consider its verdict after Judge Paul Ramsey finishes delivering his charge.
·London, United Kingdom
Read Full Article
Coverage Details
Total News Sources13
Leaning Left6Leaning Right1Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Left
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left
50% Left
L 50%
C 42%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
