The former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson has been found guilty of all 18 child sex abuse charges against him, including rape.
The jury delivered its unanimous verdict on the charges of child sexual abuse relating to two women following a four-week trial at Newry Crown Court.
After 10 hours of deliberations over a three-day period, the jury of seven men and five women returned a guilty verdict at 2.15pm.
Donaldson (63), with an address in Dromore, Co Down, was found guilty of rape, four counts of gross indecency with or towards a child and 13 counts of indecent assault on a female on dates between 1985 and 2008.
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Judge Paul Ramsey remanded him in custody and refused bail in light of the “inevitability” of a prison sentence, which he said “will be a lengthy one at that”.
[ ‘The only person telling lies is you’ – the full story of Jeffrey Donaldson’s abuse trial ]
Wearing a blue suit and pink tie, the former Lagan Valley MP showed no emotion in the dock as the foreman of the jury returned one guilty verdict after another.
Wearing a Christian fish brooch on his left lapel, Donaldson stared straight ahead with his hands clasped as the judge told him he will now be placed on the sex offenders register.
Flanked by two custody sergeants in the dock, the judge told them to “take Mr Donaldson down” to custody.
His wife and co-accused, Eleanor Donaldson (60), of the same address, was charged with four counts of aiding and abetting and one count of cruelty to children.
She had faced a trial of the facts on mental health grounds, meaning the jury was asked to find out if she had committed the acts. She was not present during the proceedings and the jury found that she had carried out the acts.*
A review of the case will take place on September 11th, and a sentencing review will take place on September 25th at Newry Crown Court, the judge told the court.
Victim impact reports were ordered by the judge for the victims, known as Complainant A and Complainant B, who cannot be identified.
Both women gave evidence during the trial.
The judge thanked the jury for the “attention” they had given during the high-profile trial and exempted them from jury duty for the rest of their lives.
DUP leader Gavin Robinson, who took charge of the party when Donaldson resigned following his arrest in 2024, called for Donaldson to be “stripped of his knighthood”.
Robinson said he welcomed that justice has been done.
“Today, our thoughts are, first and foremost, with those innocent victims whose lives have been impacted and blighted by his predatory and repugnant behaviour,” he told a press conference in east Belfast.
The DUP leader said “as a consequence of his actions”, Donaldson must “face the full force of the law”.
“We firmly believe in placing our faith in the rule of law. For us, everyone is equal to the law and equally subject to it. No one, regardless of their status or position, can be above the law.
“Abuse, preying on the innocent and taking advantage of the vulnerability of children, in particular, is evil.
“Jeffrey Donaldson’s lies and cover-ups have been uncovered, and the spotlight of justice spun upon them should serve as a reminder that perpetrators cannot outrun justice. Victims can and must triumph over the evil and darkness that pervaded their innocent lives.”
Donaldson was awarded a knighthood in 2016 for political service.
“Of course he should be stripped of his knighthood, and I would add to that membership of the Privy Council, as well,” he said.
Ulster Unionist leader Jon Burrows said Donaldson’s offences were “among the gravest crimes imaginable, committed against the most vulnerable by a man who spent his career demanding the public’s trust”.
“I want to pay tribute to the brave women who gave evidence against Jeffrey Donaldson about the abuse he inflicted on them.
“Their ordeal has been unimaginable.
“The fact that Donaldson showed no remorse and called his victims liars is reprehensible,” he said.
Sinn Féin MP John Finucane said the victims “deserve huge credit and continued support for the bravery that they have shown in putting themselves forward and stepping forward to give evidence to enter into the criminal justice process”.
A previous version of this copy stated Eleanor Donaldson had been found guilty of these charges, this has been corrected
