Former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson jailed for 15 years for child sex abuse

What he was convicted of

• One count of rape
• 13 counts of indecent assault
• Four counts of gross indecency

A judge in Northern Ireland sentenced the 63-year-old on Thursday for 18 offences against two girls between 1985 and 2008. He has been in prison since his conviction in June.

What's next

Judge Paul Ramsey said Donaldson had not offered one word of apology and called his fall a catastrophic descent into disgrace. Donaldson denies the charges and is seeking to appeal.

He is likely to serve seven and a half years, because the offences predate a change in the law on time served, the Lady Chief Justice's Office of Northern Ireland said.

Background

Donaldson led the Democratic Unionist Party from 2021 until he was charged in March 2024, and was an MP for Lagan Valley from 1997 to 2024. The King stripped him of his knighthood in July.