In the Home Circuit Court this morning, Constable Noel Maitland’s defence team took an unexpected turn by raising the possibility that someone other than Maitland, like a driver or a stalker, might be responsible for influencer Donna-Lee Donaldson’s disappearance.
Maitland, Donaldson’s boyfriend, faces charges of murder and preventing the lawful burial of her corpse. He is accused of picking up Donaldson from her mother’s home on July 11, 2022. Her mother, Sophia Lugg, testified that after hearing from her daughter the next morning, she was never able to reach her again.
During a cross-examination, Maitland’s lawyer, Christopher Townsend, presented arguments about taxi rides, social media activities, and unspoken personal matters to suggest alternative suspects.
Townsend began by quizzing Donaldson’s mother, Sophia Lugg, about her daughter’s reliance on local cab services. Lugg confirmed that Donna-Lee routinely booked three different companies and even favoured one particular driver. The mother said she used these companies whenever she needed to move around Kingston for her delivery gigs. However, she admitted she had never shared that detail with police.
Next came the subject of Donna-Lee’s Instagram presence. Townsend pointed out that she modelled swimwear and lingerie online, portraying her as a public figure who might have attracted unwanted attention. He questioned Lugg if her daughter had mentioned that anyone had left sexual comments or stalked her page. The mother, however, insisted her daughter never complained of lewd comments or suspected stalkers.
Additionally, it was also said that Donaldson left home with her passport when she went with Maitland. Lugg acknowledged it, cryptically noting it was “for reasons” she did not elaborate on.
During a later line of questioning, Townsend pressed Lugg on personal details, including claims that Donna Lee and Maitland had tried for a baby and suffered miscarriages. Townsend asked Lugg if she knew her daughter had three miscarriages, and the mother denied knowing about either claim.
With every question, Townsend shifted the spotlight away from Maitland, weaving a web of “what ifs” that stretched from anonymous cab drivers to lurking online predators. The argument seemingly indicated that reasonable doubt exists because Donaldson’s disappearance could have involved others entirely.