Donaldson sentenced to 15 years in prison for child sex abuse
Jeffrey Donaldson, the former leader of the Democratic Unionist party (DUP) in Northern Ireland, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for historical sexual offences against two women when they were children.
Donaldson, who led the DUP from 2021 until 2024, was convicted in June of one count of rape, 13 counts of indecent assault and four counts of gross indecency for crimes committed between 1985 and 2008.
Key events
In her statement released through police, Complainant B said Donaldson’s abuse affected “every relationship” she ever had.
She said:
At times I wonder who I would be if this hadn’t happened to me. What would it be like not to be afraid at night, not to wake up shaking, not to have nightmares and not to lock away every feeling I have?
What happened took away my ability to trust people and, in all honesty, I don’t think I really know what trust or love truly is. Nothing can ever change what was done to me. I wish it could.”
‘The cycle is being broken and it ends with me,’ says victim
Addressing the media outside court, DCI Leah Crothers, of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), read out statements from both of the victims in the case.
Complainant A said her childhood was “stolen” from her and that the impact of Donaldson’s abuse “have bled into every part of my life”.
She said:
Although the offences happened in the past, their impact did not end when the abuse ended.
For years I carried shame, anger and guilt, and questioned whether I was worth protecting or worthy of being loved. I learnt to survive by shutting away my emotions, trusting no one and expecting people to hurt me.
I became strong, resilient and fiercely independent, but those qualities came at a cost. I should never have had to become this strong.
The last few years have been nothing short of a battle. The conviction does not erase the abuse or undo the impact of what happened to me, and I will always carry the consequences of it.
But those responsible do not control me now. They forever changed me, but they will not take my future. The cycle is being broken and it ends with me.”
Outside court, Catherine Kierans, head of the serious crime unit at the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland, read a statement to the media.
She said Donaldson had “never accepted responsibility” for his crimes, “nor shown any remorse”.
She said Donaldson’s victims continued to live with the “profound and lasting harm” of the abuse inflicted on them by the former MP.
Kierans said:
Jeffrey Donaldson held a prominent public position. This case shows that sexual abuse can be hidden behind a facade of respectability. It also shows that no individual, irrespective of their position, status or public reputation, is beyond the reach of the law.”
UUP leader says Donaldson’s prison sentence ‘reflects gravity of his crimes’
The leader of the Ulster Unionist party (UUP), Jon Burrows, said Jeffrey Donaldson’s 15-year prison sentence “reflects the gravity of his crimes and the lifelong harm he inflicted on his victims”.
In a statement, Burrows said:
My thoughts remain with the two brave women whose courage brought him to justice, and with their families.
No sentence can give back what was taken from them. But today’s outcome is the clearest possible statement that no office, no status and no reputation places anyone above the law, and that the courage of victims who come forward will be met with the full weight of justice.
Beyond this case, the example these two women have set has already reached other survivors of historical abuse. Charities and support organisations have reported an increase in calls from people who drew strength from their example to seek help and to report what happened to them. That is a profound service to the whole community, and one that will long outlast this case.”
Burrows added that the UUP’s own independent safeguarding review into Donaldson’s years within the party continues, adding: “The party will act on whatever it finds.”
Donaldson was a member of UUP from 1981 until 2003, when he left the party due to his opposition to the 1998 Good Friday agreement and joined the DUP.
Donaldson’s crimes a ‘catastrophic descent into disgrace,’ says judge
During his sentencing remarks, judge Paul Ramsey said Jeffrey Donaldson had undergone a “catastrophic descent into disgrace”.
“There has not been, and doubtless will not be, one word of regret, apology or shame from this man to at least provide his victims with some crumb of comfort,” he said.
Telling the former DUP leader to stand before passing sentence, Ramsey told Donaldson:
You are now 63 years of age. It is well known that you in the course of your political career have reached the very heights of public office, and this is, on any view, a catastrophic descent into disgrace.
It is only through the courage, resourcefulness, and determination of two young women that you’ve been brought to justice in respect of the crimes you committed against them when they were children.
You persistently denied these offences and continued to do so, but you’ve been found guilty by a jury, and it’s now my duty to sentence you for these crimes.”
Rory Carroll
The Democratic Unionist party (DUP) is keen for Donaldson to disappear from the headlines but today’s sentencing will not close the chapter on his case.
Donaldson plans to appeal against the conviction, which could see his crimes aired again in court.
Also, the party has launched an investigation into allegations that some party members turned a blind eye to misbehaviour by Donaldson, including drunkenness and sexual harassment.
It remains an open question what impact disgust over Donaldson will have on the DUP vote in next year’s assembly and local elections.
Donaldson ‘deserves every day of lengthy prison sentence,’ says DUP
The Democratic Unionist party (DUP) has released a statement following Donaldson’s sentencing, saying the former leader “deserves every day of the lengthy prison sentence he has to serve”.
The DUP said:
Today justice has been done with the sentencing of Jeffrey Donaldson for his vile and disgusting crimes against his victims.
Our first thoughts are again with the innocent victims, who having suffered such evil, were re-traumatised through giving evidence at the trial.
They deserve our compassion, support and respect. We hope they can find some measure of comfort and can look ahead to a new chapter in their lives.”
“Regardless of status or position every individual must be held accountable for their actions.
He deserves every day of the lengthy prison sentence he has to serve following the guilty verdict for preying on innocent child victims.”
Rory Carroll
The DUP has disowned its former leader and condemned his crimes but faced a backlash from supporters amid allegations the party turned a blind eye to other misbehaviour by Donaldson, including drunkenness and sexual harassment.
The jury in the four-week trial found that his wife, Eleanor, aided and abetted her husband’s offending. The 60-year-old was deemed unfit to stand trial on mental health grounds and faced a trial of the facts, which tests evidence but does not result in a criminal conviction.
The case triggered a stunning fall for an establishment figure who was knighted and played a key role at Westminster during post-Brexit negotiations over Northern Ireland’s position in the UK.
The victims, known as Complainants A and B, said Donaldson was a predator who had abused his position of trust.
Complainant B said she was raped when she was of primary school age and was of secondary school age when Donaldson lifted up her top and fondled her breasts. The jury heard that Donaldson’s wife witnessed part of the latter incident and walked away.
Complainant A said she was of primary school age when Donaldson began to be “physical” with her. She recalled waking up in the night with a sexual feeling and having nightmares about “men doing horrible things to children”.
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The sentencing hearing has now ended, after about 20 minutes.
Judge Paul Ramsey told the court Jeffrey Donaldson had been assessed as of medium likelihood of reoffending.
Ramsey sentenced Donaldson to 11 years in prison for the offences committed against Complainant B and four years for the offences committed against Complainant A, which will run consecutively for a total of 15 years.
Donaldson ‘doubled down on his denials’ after conviction, court hears
Ramsay said Donaldson had “doubled down on his denials” since his conviction.
“There has not been, and doubtless will not be, one word of regret, apology or shame from this man to at least provide his victims with some crumb of comfort,” he said.
He added Donaldson had experienced a “catastrophic descent into disgrace”.
Donaldson sentenced to 15 years in prison for child sex abuse
Jeffrey Donaldson, the former leader of the Democratic Unionist party (DUP) in Northern Ireland, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for historical sexual offences against two women when they were children.
Donaldson, who led the DUP from 2021 until 2024, was convicted in June of one count of rape, 13 counts of indecent assault and four counts of gross indecency for crimes committed between 1985 and 2008.
Victim said she felt ‘ashamed’ and ‘dirty’ as a result of the abuse she suffered, court hears
Ramsay read some extracts of a victim impact statement from Complainant A, who said she found the trial “re-traumatising”.
She said she wanted the court to understand that the impact of the abuse she suffered “did not end when the abuse ended”.
She said she felt “ashamed” and “dirty”, and that she was carrying “enormous anger”.
Complainant B, in her statement, said that while she puts on a brave face for those around her, “every day I pray that God will let me die”.
Rory Carroll
During his trial, Donaldson wore on his jacket lapel the Ichthys, a fish symbol that denotes a public declaration of Christian faith.
He wrote copious notes during witness testimony and seldom showed emotion, not even when it was his turn to testify, or when he was convicted.
Flanked by two custody officers on Thursday, he appeared impassive as the judge outlined the case in advance of passing sentence.
Sentencing hearing begins
The sentencing hearing has begun, with judge Paul Ramsey delivering his remarks to the court.
He described it as a “disturbing and disquieting case”.
Lisa O’Carroll
At Donaldson’s pre-sentencing hearing last month, prosecution barrister Rosemary Walsh spoke of various tariffs for the offences, several of which carried a maximum sentence of two years.
But other offences carried a maximum sentence of between 10 and 14 years under historical tariffs for crimes, she told the court.
She said historical legislation did not differentiate between a child and an adult victim in all the counts, so the disparity in age between Donaldson and his victims should be considered an “aggravating” factor in sentencing.
She said Complainant B was “nine or 10” during some of the offending by Donaldson when he was 25 or 26 years old. She had described how she felt “sick” when he abused her and “wanted to scream out” but thought it was her fault.
Complainant B suffered other types of sexual assault by Donaldson when she was as young as “seven or eight”.
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Donaldson arrives at court in prison van
A prison van believed to be carrying Jeffrey Donaldson has arrived at Newry crown court.
He was being held at Maghaberry prison in his former parliamentary constituency of Lagan Valley in County Antrim awaiting sentencing.
Former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson to be sentenced for child sexual abuse
Jeffrey Donaldson, the former leader of the Democratic Unionist party (DUP) in Northern Ireland, will be sentenced today for a string of sex offences against two women when they were children.
Donaldson, 63, will appear in Newry crown court after being found guilty earlier this year of 18 counts of sexual abuse including one count of rape against the women. The offences were committed between 1985 and 2008.
Extracts of the victim impact statements were read out in court by prosecution counsel Rosemary Walsh during a pre-sentencing hearing last month. One of the victims, Complainant B, described how the abuse she suffered as a child “affected her every day” and sometimes she struggled so much she “wishes she could die”. Complainant A wrote in her statement that she felt her childhood had been “stolen from her” and this had led to feelings of shame and anger.
Kieran Vaughan, mitigating for Donaldson, said during that hearing that the former Lagan Valley MP was a man of “previous good character” who “did achieve significant things”.
But he added: “These convictions obliterate all those achievements he has made in his life.”
Judge Paul Ramsey previously told Donaldson that he would face a “lengthy sentence”.
Donaldson led the DUP from 2021 until 2024 when he was charged with historical sexual offences. He denied the charges but a jury convicted him in June of one count of rape, 13 counts of indecent assault and four counts of gross indecency.
Since his conviction, he has been stripped of his knighthood and removed from the privy council.
Donaldson’s wife, Eleanor, 60, was found unfit to stand trial on mental health grounds. She faced a trial of the facts, which can test evidence but not result in a criminal conviction, and was found to have aided and abetted her husband’s offending.
She cannot be given a prison sentence but could be given a treatment order or an absolute discharge. The judge is due to decide on this at a later date.
She has lodged an appeal to have the court conclusions overturned.
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