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Northern Ireland's former unionist leader convicted of decades-old child sexual abuse

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The Associated Press

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Jeffrey Donaldson arrives at Newry Crown Court, England, where he and his wife Eleanor Donaldson are accused of historical sexual offences, on Wednesday May 27, 2026. (Brian Lawless/PA via AP)

Warning: Graphic content

LONDON — Jeffrey Donaldson, the former leader of Northern Ireland’s largest unionist party, was convicted Monday of rape and sex abuse charges involving two girls decades ago.

Donaldson, 63, was found guilty at Newry Crown Court of one count of rape, four counts of gross indecency and 13 indecent assault charges involving two girls from 1985 to 2008.

He showed no emotion as the verdicts were read or when Judge Paul Ramsey said Donaldson would face a lengthy prison sentence later in the year and had him taken to jail. A pre-sentencing hearing was scheduled for Sept. 25.

Donaldson’s arrest two years ago ended his career as one of the leading Northern Ireland voices in favour of maintaining the historic ties with the United Kingdom. He resigned as leader of the conservative Democratic Unionist Party, or DUP, and gave up his seat in the U.K. Parliament.

Donaldson testified — emotionally at times — over two days and denied all the allegations against him, saying he was “crystal clear” he did not rape one of the girls when she was a child decades ago.

Donaldson’s wife, Eleanor Donaldson, 60, was found to have aided and abetted her husband’s offences for witnessing the abuse and doing nothing to intervene. Because of mental health issues, she faced only a fact-finding hearing that could not result in a conviction.

The two complainants, who said they were abused as children, testified that Donaldson groped them when they were around primary school age. The older of the two, referred to in court as Complainant B, said he raped her.

“It just didn’t happen, I am absolutely crystal clear about that,” Donaldson testified. “It is not something I would ever have done, it is just simply not true.”

Complainant B said that in the 1990s, years after the abuse, Donaldson apologized “for what had happened in the past” at a meeting held at a Christian centre where she had stayed while dealing with drug issues.

Donaldson testified that he had apologized for making her uncomfortable at the meeting.

Donaldson wrote a letter to Complainant A in 2020 to say he regretted “hurt, pain and distress” he caused. He claimed that the letter did not refer to sex abuse allegations but other behaviour.

“I know how deep the wounds are caused by my sinful and selfish actions,” he wrote and said he hoped God would “lift a sinner out of the deep pit of sin.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with sexual assault or trauma, the following resources are available to support people in crisis:

Brian Melley, The Associated Press