Former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Jeffrey Donaldson has received a 15-year prison sentence for sexually abusing two women when they were children, bringing a major criminal case against the former Northern Ireland politician to its sentencing stage.
The 63-year-old was sentenced at Newry Crown Court on Thursday after a jury convicted him in June of 18 offences committed between 1985 and 2008. The convictions comprised one count of rape, 13 counts of indecent assault and four counts of gross indecency.
Judge Paul Ramsey imposed 11 years’ imprisonment for offences against one victim and four years for offences against the other, ordering the terms to run consecutively. In determining the sentence, the court considered the prolonged nature of the abuse, the victims’ ages and the harm the offences had caused.
BBC News reported that the judge criticised Donaldson for continuing to deny the offences and failing to express regret towards his victims. Donaldson had denied the allegations throughout the trial, and the court heard that he intended to challenge his convictions.
His wife, Eleanor Donaldson, was also involved in proceedings concerning five charges connected to the case, including allegations of aiding and abetting her husband. The court found that she had carried out the acts alleged against her, although her proceedings were handled separately on mental health grounds.
Donaldson led the DUP from 2021 until his resignation in March 2024 after being charged with historical sexual offences. He had represented Lagan Valley in the UK Parliament from 1997 and played a role in negotiations over Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit trading arrangements. His knighthood, awarded in 2016 for political service, was withdrawn in July 2026.
