A former political leader in Northern Ireland is facing serious criminal charges after prosecutors allege he sexually abused two young girls over more than two decades.
Jeffrey Donaldson, age 63, who previously headed the Democratic Unionist Party, entered not guilty pleas to 18 charges on Wednesday. The criminal counts include rape, gross indecency, and indecent assault allegations involving two complainants from 1985 through 2008.
During opening arguments at Newry Crown Court, prosecutor Rosemary Walsh informed the jury that both alleged victims contacted authorities over two years ago to report what they described as “difficult and traumatic incidents they say happened when they were children.”
Donaldson stepped down from his leadership position with the DUP and left his seat in the U.K. Parliament following his arrest in March 2024.
His departure sent shockwaves through the DUP, coming just after the party had rejoined Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government following a boycott. This return to cooperation occurred after Donaldson secured favorable changes to post-Brexit trade policies with the European Union.
During his tenure as DUP leader from 2021 to 2023, Donaldson held significant influence within Northern Ireland’s unionist community, which advocates for preserving the region’s connections to the United Kingdom.
According to Walsh’s statements to jurors, both complainants reported that Donaldson inappropriately touched them during their elementary school years. The prosecutor indicated that one victim, identified in court documents as Complainant B, alleged the abuse persisted for multiple years.
Complainant B also testified that years after the alleged incidents, a church-organized meeting took place where Donaldson expressed regret “for what had happened in the past.”
During police questioning, Donaldson characterized the sexual abuse allegations as “unbelievable.”
Eleanor Donaldson, the defendant’s spouse, faces separate charges for allegedly assisting in her husband’s crimes, though Judge Paul Ramsey determined she is mentally unfit for trial proceedings.
While jurors will review evidence related to Eleanor Donaldson’s case, she cannot face conviction or sentencing. Court officials anticipate the trial will continue for approximately one month.
