Recordings of police interviews with Lady Eleanor Donaldson were played at Newry Crown Court on Tuesday, as the trial of her husband, the former DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, continued.

Lady Donaldson described an incident where she went looking for her husband and found him in a room with one of the complainants, referred to as Complainant B, who was a teenager at the time. She said both were fully clothed and standing, and she immediately reversed out of the room. She told detectives the encounter made her feel uncomfortable.

She disclosed that she repeatedly asked her husband about what had occurred, but he dismissed her questions, stating they were just talking. Over the years, she said, she kept raising the matter, but he refused to give her any details. He later told her the issue had been dealt with and that he had asked for forgiveness, but he never disclosed what the forgiveness was for. She described the situation as unexplained.

Lady Donaldson insisted she never witnessed any inappropriate behaviour between Sir Jeffrey and either complainant. She expressed disbelief at the allegations, saying they were inconsistent with her knowledge of him. Regarding an alleged rape of Complainant B, she told police it did not happen and she was devastated to hear the claim.

In his own final police interview, also played on Tuesday, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said a letter he wrote to Complainant A in 2020 was not an apology for sexual abuse. He stated the letter, which expressed regret for the hurt, pain and distress he had caused her, related to remorse about other matters, not sexual abuse. He denied nodding to indicate he had abused the woman when confronted by her and her husband, and said the specific allegations against him were untrue.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, 63, has pleaded not guilty to 18 alleged offences, including rape, indecent assault and gross indecency, alleged against two females between 1985 and 2008 when they were children. Lady Donaldson, 60, of Dublinhill Road, Dromore, Co Down, denies five charges of aiding and abetting his alleged offending. She is undergoing a trial of the facts after being deemed unfit to face a conventional trial on mental health grounds.

The prosecution case has now ended. The jury of seven men and five women was told not to return until Thursday while legal matters are addressed.