Former Democratic Unionist leader Jeffrey Donaldson was found guilty of abusing two girls
Northern Ireland’s veteran politician Jeffrey Donaldson has said he will give up his leadership and his seat on Britain’s Privy Council after being found guilty of child abuse.
On Monday, a court found the former leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) guilty of 18 counts of sexual assault, including one count of rape, against two women. The offenses took place between 1985 and 2008, when all the victims were children.
Presiding Judge Paul Ramsey told Donaldson that he faces a long prison sentence, according to the BBC. His wife, Eleanor, was found guilty of aiding and abetting her husband’s abuse, but the judge ruled that she was not fit to stand trial on mental health grounds. Donaldson, who pleaded not guilty, is due to be sentenced on September 25.
Donaldson resigned as leader of the DUP – a party that advocates maintaining the union with Britain – after his arrest in 2024. On Wednesday, his lawyer, John McBurney, said that Donaldson had submitted a request to the government to strip him of his powers and his seat in the Privy Council, which advises the British monarch.
DUP leader Gavin Robinson said the party was “shock” to the evidence given during the trial. “No one, regardless of status or position, can be above the law and Jeffrey Donaldson is no exception,” He said.
The party’s deputy leader, Michelle McIlveen, said Tuesday that Donaldson had it “He lived two lives with a duplicate.”
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