Former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson due to be sentenced for child sexual abuse
Former Democratic Unionist Party leader Jeffrey Donaldson, 63, was due to be sentenced at Newry Crown Court on 15 October 2026 for sexual offences against two women when they were children. He was found guilty of 18 counts of sexual abuse including one count of rape.
A jury convicted him in June 2026 of one count of rape, 13 counts of indecent assault and four counts of gross indecency, according to The Guardian. The offences were committed between 1985 and 2008. The jury in the historical sex offences trial was sent to begin its deliberations in June 2026, according to Reuters.
Donaldson led the DUP, the main unionist party in Northern Ireland, from 2021 until 2024, when he was charged with historical sexual offences. Since his conviction, he has been stripped of his knighthood and removed from the Privy Council. Judge Paul Ramsey told Donaldson he would face a lengthy sentence.
At a pre-sentencing hearing, prosecution barrister Rosemary Walsh said several offences carried a maximum sentence of two years. She said other offences carried a maximum sentence of between 10 and 14 years under historical tariffs. Kieran Vaughan acted in mitigation for Donaldson.
Donaldson was remanded into custody after being found guilty and was held in Maghaberry Prison while awaiting sentencing, according to BBC. He was not present at a review hearing at Newry Crown Court ahead of his sentencing.
His wife, Eleanor Donaldson, 60, was found unfit to stand trial on mental health grounds. She faced a trial of the facts and was found to have aided and abetted her husband's offending. She has lodged an appeal to have the court conclusions against her overturned, and the Northern Ireland Courts Service confirmed that an application for leave to appeal had been lodged to the Court of Appeal, according to BBC.
