Former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson convicted of historic child sexual offences

A jury at Newry Crown Court found former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson guilty of 18 historic sexual offences, including one count of rape, 13 counts of indecent assault and four counts of gross indecency, committed against two girls between 1985 and 2008. Donaldson, 63, showed no reaction when the verdict was read and was remanded in custody pending a sentencing hearing set for 25 September 2026.

His wife, Eleanor Donaldson, was found to have aided and abetted the offences in a “trial of the facts” because she was deemed unfit to stand trial on mental‑health grounds; she received no criminal conviction but remains subject to a judicial finding of fact.

The conviction triggered an immediate political fallout. The DUP denounced Donaldson as a “wicked deceiver” and began distancing itself, stripping his images from party venues and calling for the loss of his knighthood and Orange Order membership. Stormont speakers and the Irish Taoiseach condemned the abuse, describing it as “depraved” and “horrific”. The case is expected to reshape unionist politics in Northern Ireland and dominate media coverage across the island for weeks.