Donna-Lee Donaldson's mother says Maitland insisted she report her daughter missing

 

Sophia Lugg, the prosecution's first witness in the murder trial of Constable Noel Maitland on Wednesday testified that he was the one who instructed her to report her daughter missing.

 

Constable Maitland is on trial for the 2022 murder of his girlfriend, Donna-Lee Donaldson. 

 

Ms. Lugg, who began giving evidence on Tuesday in the Home Circuit Court, returned to the stand at 10:44 a.m. Wednesday. 

 

Continuing her testimony, the witness said after she suggested Mr. Maitland check the security cameras at his apartment, he later called her back and said he had spoken with the security guards who he said explained that the footage would not reveal who took Donna-Lee out as all the vehicle windows were rolled up. 

 

Ms. Lugg said she told Constable Maitland that the explanation was stupidity and doesn't make sense because the cars must have stopped at the security checkpoint. 

 

She said at that point he promised to call her back. Ms. Lugg said about 45 minutes later Mr. Maitland called back. 

 

In response to questions from the prosecutor, she said Mr. Maitland encouraged and insisted that she report her daughter missing and asked at which police station she planned to file the report. 

 

She said Mr. Maitland said, "Mum, you need to go to the police station because it was unlike Donna not to answer her phone."

 

Ms. Lugg said by this time she became convinced that something had happened to her daughter when Mr. Maitland called her half an hour later, inquiring which station she intended to go to. The mother said she went to Half Way Tree Police Station in St. Andrew and while there Mr. Maitland called again with a similar question, so she told him where she was. 

 

The witness said, within five minutes Mr. Maitland and a policewoman showed up at the station. But she said while she was giving a statement Mr. Maitland came into the room and said he had to leave as something came up. 

 

She said he left his telephone number with the police officer and told him to call when it was his time to give a statement. 

 

Prior to the lunch break, Ms. Lugg told the court that while she was at the station waiting to give the statement, Mr. Maitland told a female inspector that he did not know who Donna-Lee had left with when she left his home and that the officer told him, "Come better than that. You know better than that."

 

The trial continues Thursday in the Home Circuit Court. 

 

The 24-year-old social media influencer, swimwear and business owner, and customer service representative went missing on July 13, 2022 after she was last seen at Mr. Maitland's home two days earlier. 

 

Mr. Maitland is charged with murder and preventing the lawful burial of a corpse.