Former DUP Leader Jeffrey Donaldson Sentenced to 15 Years

Two women who were sexually abused as children by Jeffrey Donaldson will now see the former Democratic Unionist Party leader spend 15 years in prison. Judge Paul Ramsey imposed the sentence at Newry Crown Court on Thursday, closing a case that ended the career of one of Northern Ireland's most prominent politicians.

Donaldson, 63, was found guilty in June of 18 counts of sexual abuse, including one count of rape, committed against the two women between 1985 and 2008. The offences included 13 counts of indecent assault and four counts of gross indecency, according to court records.

The judge sentenced Donaldson to 11 years for offences against one victim and four years for offences against the second, to run consecutively. Donaldson stood with his hands clasped and showed no emotion as the sentence was read out, according to the BBC.

Before passing sentence, Judge Ramsey said Donaldson's crimes had led to a "catastrophic descent into disgrace". He noted that the former MP had shown "not one word of regret, apology or shame" to his victims.

The two victims, identified as Complainant A and Complainant B, described abuse that began when they were of primary school age. Complainant B said she was raped as a young child and later sexually assaulted, while Complainant A recalled inappropriate touching, kissing, and an incident where Donaldson used a light to examine her genitals.

In victim impact statements read at a pre-sentence hearing last month, both women described the lasting damage of the abuse. Complainant A wrote of feeling shame and anger that her childhood had been "stolen". Complainant B said she sometimes wished she could die, according to the prosecution.

Donaldson had denied all charges and is appealing his conviction. His wife, Eleanor Donaldson, was found to have aided and abetted his offending in a separate trial of the facts, but she was deemed unfit to stand trial on mental health grounds and cannot be given a prison sentence.

The case has had wider political repercussions. The DUP, which Donaldson led from 2021 to 2024, said in a statement that "justice has been done" and that he "deserves every day of the lengthy prison sentence". The party also launched an independent review into issues arising from the conviction.

Donaldson was knighted in 2016 and played a key role in post-Brexit negotiations over Northern Ireland's position in the UK. King Charles stripped him of his knighthood in July, and he was removed from the Privy Council.

He was arrested in March 2024 and resigned as DUP leader. He had been held in Maghaberry Prison since his conviction in June.