The husband of a woman who claims she was sexually abused as a child by former DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson became emotional while giving evidence at Newry Crown Court on Thursday.

He told the jury how his wife, identified as Complainant A, first disclosed the alleged abuse on December 27, 2019, while they were driving. They stopped in a car park, where she said Donaldson had abused her when she was younger on multiple occasions.

The witness said she described being inappropriately touched, kissed with his tongue pushed into her mouth, and being woken by a light to find Donaldson looking at her private parts. He also recounted another alleged incident when Eleanor Donaldson walked in and saw something happen.

He stated his wife was scared, had never told anyone, and he realised the disclosure was significant for her. Under cross-examination by Donaldson's barrister Kieran Vaughan KC, the witness said she had delayed reporting because she was working through trauma she had suppressed for years and had been terrified.

Later, a Presbyterian minister and his wife testified they provided pastoral support to the couple from December 2022. The minister said he contacted his church's safeguarding lead. In July 2023, while on holiday, he received a WhatsApp message from Donaldson asking for a confidential private conversation, stating he did not know where else to turn. The minister replied it would be inappropriate. Donaldson then sent a further message saying he understood, wanted to find a way to say sorry, and to repent before them as he had before the Lord. The minister did not respond and informed Complainant A and her husband.

Jeffrey Donaldson, 63, denies 18 charges including rape, gross indecency, and indecent assault spanning 1985 to 2008. His wife Eleanor Donaldson, 60, faces a trial of the facts on mental health grounds and denies five charges of aiding and abetting. The case continues on Friday.