Jeffrey Donaldson: Former senior Northern Irish politician to face trial over alleged sex offences

CNN
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The former leader of Northern Ireland's largest pro-Union party, Jeffrey Donaldson, will stand trial on allegations of historical sex offences, including one count of rape.

Donaldson appeared before a preliminary inquiry commission on Wednesday, which decided to continue the trial, scheduled for September 10, according to a statement sent to CNN by the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS).

Donaldson resigned as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) in March after being charged with 11 sex offences.

The politician has since been charged with seven further offences. The 18 alleged offences include: one count of rape, 13 counts of indecent assault on a girl and four counts of indecent assault on a child.

According to PA Media, Donaldson was asked in court whether he wanted to comment on the charges. “Not at this stage,” he replied, the news agency reported.

His wife Eleanor Donaldson is also due to stand trial in September and has been charged with one count of aiding and abetting rape, three counts of aiding and abetting the assault of a child and one count of cruelty to a person under 16.

Donaldson led the DUP from 2019 through much of the turbulent Brexit process, regularly voicing his opposition to the Northern Ireland Protocol, a key part of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement that ensured there was no hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Donaldson and his wife have both denied all charges, Irish public broadcaster RTÉ reported on Wednesday.

Donaldson’s trial was announced as Northern Irish people prepared to vote in the British general election. Northern Ireland, one of the four devolved nations of the United Kingdom, has 18 seats in the Westminster parliament. Northern Irish politicians can choose to run for either a Westminster seat or a seat in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Lawmakers from the main nationalist party, Sinn Féin, do not take their Westminster seats if elected.

Donaldson was due to stand again in the Lagan Valley constituency but was replaced by his former DUP colleague Jonathan Buckley.