Constable Noel Maitland has alleged that the blood in his house was from a miscarriage. He took centre stage in court on Tuesday. He used his moment in the prisoner’s dock to directly address jurors as he continued to deny any involvement in the disappearance and death of his girlfriend, Donna-Lee Donaldson.
The Home Circuit Court was expected to hear from character witnesses, but instead the seven-member jury listened as Maitland delivered an unsworn statement, repeatedly urging them to believe his version of events. Maitland is facing charges of murder and preventing the lawful burial of a corpse. Donaldson’s last known location is Maitland’s Chelsea Manor apartment in St Andrew shortly before she disappeared on July 12, 2022.
One of the main points Maitland focused on was the forensic evidence from his apartment. He argued that investigators did not find a large amount of blood and said the small traces identified could not support claims of a violent killing. Maitland claimed that blood most likely came from a miscarriage, explaining that Donaldson had suffered miscarriages during their relationship, with one allegedly occurring at his apartment.
Throughout his statement, Maitland stressed that he cooperated fully with the police from the start of the investigation. He told the court that he never resisted requests for access to his home or vehicle and claimed he even assisted officers in securing his baby mother’s car after she initially refused to hand it over.
Maitland also took issue with how much attention was placed on a couch removed from his apartment. He explained that he made plans to clean the furniture at a carwash long before Donaldson went missing. He strongly rejected testimony from a former carwash worker who claimed she saw what looked like blood while washing the couch.
“This lady is a liar,’ he said, highlighting what he saw as flaws in the employee’s testimony.
According to Maitland, no blood was found on the couch, the truck that transported it, or the rug in his living room. He questioned why the couch became such a major part of the case, pointing out that it was cleaned in a public area surrounded by businesses and surveillance cameras.
He also addressed recorded phone calls between himself and the truck driver who transported the couch. Maitland said he was unaware the calls were being recorded but believed the recordings worked in his favour, as they showed he encouraged cooperation with the police.
Finally, Maitland spoke about a neighbour who testified that he was asked to delete CCTV footage. He dismissed the claim, saying that he and the neighbour did not have a good relationship and often clashed.