Northern Ireland ex-DUP leader Donaldson sentenced to 15 years for child sex crimes

Judge says Jeffrey Donaldson ne'er apologised to victims arsenic person seeks to entreaty his convictions.

The erstwhile person of Northern Ireland’s largest unionist enactment has been sentenced to 15 years successful jailhouse for kid ⁠⁠sex offences.

Jeffrey Donaldson, who led the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), stared consecutive up arsenic Judge Paul Ramsey handed down the 63-year-old’s condemnation connected Thursday.

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Ramsey described the lawsuit arsenic “disturbing and disquieting”, ‌‌assessing Donaldson arsenic having a mean accidental of reoffending. He described the politician’s autumn arsenic “a catastrophic descent into disgrace”.

Donaldson has been successful situation awaiting condemnation since June aft helium was convicted of 1 number of rape, 13 counts of indecent battle and 4 counts of gross indecency against 2 girls betwixt ⁠⁠1985 and 2008.

He denied each the charges and is seeking to entreaty against his convictions.

The lawsuit is 1 of the highest-profile cases successful the British-run portion successful caller times.

Donaldson was 1 of Northern Ireland’s best-known politicians and its longest-serving lawmaker successful the British Parliament erstwhile helium was arrested and charged successful March 2024.

He instantly resigned arsenic the person of the DUP aft helium was charged with what helium called “allegations of an historical nature”.

‘Worst moment’ of victim’s life

Prosecutor Rosemary Walsh told a pre-sentencing proceeding past period that 1 of the victims described the maltreatment arsenic “the worst infinitesimal of her life”.

The different unfortunate said her puerility had been stolen and that she had carried astir feelings of “shame” ever since. The victims, neither of whom tin beryllium identified for ineligible reasons, gave grounds during ⁠⁠the trial.

Judge Ramsey said Donaldson had doubled down connected his denials and not offered 1 connection of an apology oregon expressed shame.

Donaldson volition apt walk seven-and-a-half years successful situation arsenic helium qualifies for an automatic remission of his sentence, the Lady Chief Justice’s Office of ⁠⁠Northern Ireland said. This is due to the fact that the offences were committed earlier a alteration successful the instrumentality allowing a justice to take what information of a condemnation is spent successful custody.

Former DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson signed paperwork with Britain’s past Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury, and Chief Whip, Gavin Williamson astatine 10 Downing Street connected June 26, 2017. Donaldson roseate done ranks to go DUP person [File: Daniel Leal-Olivas/Reuters]

In 2021, Donaldson became person of the DUP, the enactment founded by Protestant cleric Ian Paisley astatine the tallness of 3 decades of sectarian bloodshed, which ended aft a 1998 bid deal.

Donaldson was cardinal to the dialog of a important post-Brexit commercialized woody with the United Kingdom authorities 2 months earlier his arrest.

It enabled the extremity of the DUP’s two-year boycott of the devolved power-sharing assembly astatine Stormont and had besides been expected to pb his enactment into the adjacent UK wide election.

Donaldson was knighted by the precocious Queen Elizabeth for his governmental services successful 2016.

He asked for his knighthood to beryllium renounced 2 days aft his conviction.

The assemblage besides recovered that Donaldson’s wife, Eleanor, ‌‌aided and ‌‌abetted her husband. She has besides denied the charges.

The tribunal ruled her unfit to basal proceedings past period owed to intelligence wellness issues, meaning she could not look transgression conviction.