Jeffrey Donaldson, the former leader of the Democratic Unionist party, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexual offences against two women who were children when he abused them.
Judge Paul Ramsey passed sentence at Newry Crown Court on Thursday morning. A jury convicted Donaldson, 63, on 22 June of all 18 counts he faced: one rape, 13 indecent assaults and four counts of gross indecency, committed between 1985 and 2008.
The sentence completes the fall of a man who led the largest unionist party in Northern Ireland from 2021 until his arrest in March 2024 and who sat as MP for Lagan Valley. He has since been stripped of his knighthood.
The Associated Press reported that the 15 years comprises 11 years for the offences against one complainant and four years for the other, to run consecutively. The court did not name the women, who are entitled to lifelong anonymity.
Judge Ramsey told the court that Donaldson had "doubled down on his denials" since the verdict and had been assessed as presenting a medium likelihood of reoffending.
"There has not been, and doubtless will not be, one word of regret, apology or shame from this man to at least provide his victims with some crumb of comfort," he said.
The judge described Donaldson's fall from public office as a "catastrophic descent into disgrace".
Summarising victim impact reports, Judge Ramsey said one complainant had been "traumatised" by the trial process, had grown up feeling "ashamed and dirty" and had found recent years a "living nightmare". He said the second woman prayed every day to be allowed to die.
The trial, which ran for four weeks from late May, heard that both complainants were of primary school age when the abuse began. The older woman's evidence covered the period from 1985 to 1991 and included the rape count. The second woman's evidence related to offences between 1999 and 2008.
Donaldson, who stood in the dock in a navy suit and pink tie, has been held at Maghaberry Prison since the judge remanded him in custody at the close of the trial. He pleaded not guilty to all charges in September 2024 and has maintained his innocence throughout.
His solicitor has confirmed that papers have been lodged for an appeal against conviction. The conviction and sentence stand unless the Court of Appeal rules otherwise.
At a pre-sentence hearing on 25 September, his barrister, Kieran Vaughan KC, told the court that his client had been a man of "previous good character" who "did achieve significant things".
"I readily accept that these convictions obliterate all those achievements that he has made in his life, and that's certainly something he will have to live with," Mr Vaughan said.
The DUP, which suspended Donaldson the day after his arrest and installed Gavin Robinson as interim leader, welcomed the sentence.
"Today justice has been done with the sentencing of Jeffrey Donaldson for his vile and disgusting crimes against his victims," the party said in a statement. "Regardless of status or position every individual must be held accountable for their actions."
It added: "He deserves every day of the lengthy prison sentence he has to serve following the guilty verdict for preying on innocent child victims."
Donaldson's wife, Eleanor Donaldson, 60, was charged alongside him with four counts of aiding and abetting and one of child cruelty. She did not stand trial because of concerns about her mental health. In a trial of the facts, a procedure that cannot produce a criminal conviction, a jury found she had done the acts alleged. The Irish Times has reported that she intends to appeal that finding.
Police arrested the couple at their home near Dromore, Co Down, on 28 March 2024. Donaldson was initially charged with 11 offences; seven further charges were added before the case reached the crown court. The trial was postponed twice over Mrs Donaldson's health before it began on 26 May.
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