In one of the most dramatic falls from grace in Northern Ireland’s recent political history, former Democratic Unionist Party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson was found guilty on Monday of 18 sexual offences, including the rape of a child, and was told to expect a lengthy prison sentence.
A jury of seven men and five women at Newry Crown Court returned unanimous guilty verdicts after roughly ten hours of deliberation over three days, following a four-week trial. Donaldson, 63, of Dromore, County Down, was convicted of one count of rape, four counts of gross indecency with or towards a child, and 13 counts of indecent assault on a female. The offences related to two women who were children at the time and spanned more than two decades, from 1985 to 2008.
Wearing a blue suit and a Christian fish brooch on his lapel, Donaldson showed no emotion in the dock as the foreman read out one guilty verdict after another. Judge Paul Ramsey told him a lengthy term of imprisonment was inevitable, ordered that he be placed on the sex offenders register, and remanded him into custody on the spot. A sentencing hearing is set for September 25, with a review earlier that month.
His wife, Eleanor Donaldson, 60, who faced charges of aiding and abetting and one of child cruelty, did not stand a criminal trial because she was ruled medically unfit. In a trial of the facts, the jury found that she had committed the acts alleged.
The conviction closes the public career of a man who spent decades at the center of unionist politics, serving as DUP leader, as the member of parliament for Lagan Valley, and as a key figure in Brexit negotiations affecting Northern Ireland. He resigned and stepped down from parliament after his arrest in 2024.
Current DUP leader Gavin Robinson called Donaldson’s behavior predatory and repugnant and demanded he be stripped of his knighthood. Across the political divide, figures praised the courage of the two women who testified. As the prosecution noted, their willingness to come forward, knowing the scrutiny they would face, was what ultimately brought a powerful man to justice.
