Former DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson found guilty of rape and indecent assault
The former DUP leader denied the allegations, but jurors found 18 offences proved after a four-week trial.
- On Monday, a Newry Crown Court jury convicted former Democratic Unionist Party leader Jeffrey Donaldson of 18 historical sexual offences, including rape and indecent assault, involving two girls between 1985 and 2008.
- Donaldson, 63, previously served as Northern Ireland's longest-serving lawmaker and led the DUP until his March 2024 arrest; he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 2016 before vacating his Parliament seat.
- During the trial, Donaldson testified he was "crystal clear" he did not rape the complainant, yet a 2020 letter showed he wrote he regretted the "hurt, pain and distress" he caused.
- A separate trial of the facts found that Eleanor, Donaldson's wife, aided and abetted the crimes, though the court ruled her unfit to stand trial last month due to mental health issues.
- Remanded in custody following Monday's verdict, the former lawmaker will be sentenced on September 25, concluding a career defined by his role as a leading advocate for maintaining historic ties with the United Kingdom.
59 Articles
59 Articles
Jyllands-Posten
Kristeligt DagbladJeffrey Donaldson, who he Tidligere partideer i Northern Ireland, he mandag kendt skyldig i en række seksuelle overgreb - herunder ét tilfælde af voldtægt - begået mod to piger over en længere årrække. Det...
A court Monday declared Jeffrey Donaldson, former leader of the main pro-United Kingdom party of Northern Ireland, guilty of 18 sexual offences, including rape. The jury took 10 hours to reach a verdict after Donaldson, 63, pleaded not guilty to all charges after four weeks of filing evidence in a Newry court in southern Belfast. The trial focused on allegations of two women claiming that Donaldson sexually abused them as girls for more than two…
The former leader of the pro-British DUP party in Northern Ireland, Jeffrey Donaldson (63), has been found guilty of eighteen sexual offences, including rape.
The former leader of the pro-British DUP party in Northern Ireland, Jeffrey Donaldson (63), has been found guilty of eighteen sexual offences, including rape.
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