The BelTel

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has now been cross-examined by the prosecution in Newry Crown Court where he is on trial over 18 alleged offences. He has plead not guilty to charges including rape and allegations of indecent assault and gross indecency. Both complainants alleged they were abused as children. His wife, Lady Eleanor Donaldson, from Dublinhill Road in Dromore, denies several charges of aiding and abetting her husband’s alleged offending. She is facing a trial of the facts on mental health grounds.  Allison Morris is covering the trial for the Belfast Telegraph.

The inquest into the death of 14-year-old Noah Donohoe has now heard its 19th week of evidence. The inquest has now heard from mental health experts - one said it ‘feels like there is so much we don’t know about this case’. But the experts do agree that Noah is “unlikely to have died by suicide”. They also agreed that Jordan Peterson’s book ‘12 Rules For Life’ would have had an “influence” on Noah. The teenager’s body was found in a storm drain in June 2020 after being missing for six days.  Liam Tunney is covering the inquest for the Belfast Telegraph, he spoke to Olivia Peden.  

Jeffrey Donaldson has denied raping a seven-year-old child, under cross-examination, saying “it simply didn’t happen”. The former MP spent Thursday on the witness stand in Newry Crown Court. During the questioning, he admitted having an affair. Mr Donaldson is accused of rape and several counts of gross indecency and of indecent assault. The sixty-three-year-old has pleaded not guilty to the 18 alleged offences.  Allison Morris is covering the trial for the Belfast Telegraph. 

Violence sparked by a knife attack in Belfast continues. A Sudanese man has been charged over that incident.  Twelve police officers have been injured as they confront rioters and attempts to target minorities. The PSNI deployed a water cannon in Newtownabbey as they were pelted with bricks.  Meanwhile a health trusts says it is ‘horrified’ after a nurse ‘with different skin colour’ was chased into hospital by masked men.  Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Kevin Scott. 

Northern Ireland has seen serious race riots for the third year in a row. Masked men staged violent protests in number of areas, but the trouble was concentrated in the greater Belfast area, with homes set alight off the Crumlin Road and in east Belfast.A Glider bus was set alight on the Newtownards Road and a police car was burned in Portadown. The disorder followed an attempted murder involving a knife in north Belfast on Monday night.A 30-year-old Sudanese man has been charged.   The Belfast Telegraph’s Visuals Editor Kevin Scott was on the ground in Belfast and Liam Tunney was in court. 

A man believed by police to be Sudanese has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following a violent incident involving a knife in north Belfast. The attack, which has been declared a ‘critical incident’, happened in Kinnaird Avenue shortly after 10.30 PM last night. The victim - a man in his 40s - is in hospital in a serious condition. A video of the attack has shocked and horrified the public in Northern Ireland. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer labeled the incident as “sickening”. A major police investigation is ongoing. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Belfast Telegraph Visuals editor Kevin Scott This episode was recorded at 12PM on Tuesday 9 June.  

“I can’t get my head around” the abuse allegations made by Witness B, Jeffrey Donaldson told police. The tape of the former MP’s interview with the PSNI was played at his trial in Newry Crown Count on Monday morning.   The jury also heard Donaldson deny that he apologised to Witness in the case because he thought it would “make this go away”.  “I wasn’t doing anything untoward,” Jeffrey Donaldson told police officers in relation to accusations made by Witness A.  Donaldson (63) is accused of rape and several counts of gross indecency and of indecent assault. He denies all 18 alleged offences. There are two alleged victims, Complainant A and Complainant B.  His wife Eleanor Donaldson, from Dublinhill Road in Dromore denies several charges of aiding and abetting her husband’s alleged offending.  Allison Morris was in court. 

Claire Sugden is the only independent MLA in Stormont. Co-opted into the assembly for east Londonderry in 2014, she served as justice minister from May 2016 to March 2017.  Widely considered a ‘liberal unionist’, in May 2021 she turned down an invitation from Doug Beattie to join the UUP but she says she’s no “soft unionist”.   But under John Burrow's leadership, could she consider joining the party now? Can liberal Unionism be revived? And besides Unionism, what else does Claire believe in?  And she tells the BelTel that she wants to continue as a politician but not “at the expense of my health anymore.” Claire Sugden joined Ciarán Dunbar.