Former DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson with his solicitor John McBurney arrives at Newry Magistrates’ Court, where he is charged with several historical sexual offences. Sir Jeffrey resigned as DUP leader and was suspended from the party following the charges. Picture date: Wednesday April 24, 2024. 75974225 (Press Association via AP Images)
Former Democratic Unionist Party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson appeared in court on Wednesday on charges of historical sexual offences.
Donaldson arrived at Newry Magistrates’ Court in Northern Ireland followed by his wife, Lady Eleanor Mary Elizabeth Donaldson, just after 9:30am.
The charges against Donaldson, a 61-year-old Lagan Valley MP, include one count of rape and nine other counts involving gross indecency and indecent assault, dating back several years. The accusations surfaced publicly when the couple was charged on March 28, following an investigation by the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Public Protection Branch.
Lady Donaldson, 58, is similarly entangled in the case, facing three charges of aiding and abetting her husband in these alleged crimes. The couple were processed at the Antrim Custody suite last month, setting
It is believed that Donaldson will strenuously deny the charges against him.
Within hours of being charged, Donaldson resigned his position in the DUP and was replaced by MP Gavin Robinson as interim leader. As a figure in Northern Irish politics, Donaldson’s career began in 1997 when he was a member of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) before he defected to the DUP in 2003. He was knighted in 2016.