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Former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson sentenced for historical child sexual abuse

Judge Paul Ramsey imposed consecutive terms of 11 and four years; his wife was found to have aided and abetted the offending.

Updated Oct 15, 2026 · 22:12 UTC3 reports

The short version

Former Democratic Unionist Party leader Jeffrey Donaldson was sentenced at Newry Crown Court after a June jury conviction.[The Guardian · ABC News]
The offences, against two girls, were committed between 1985 and 2008.[The Guardian · ABC News]
Donaldson's wife, Eleanor, was found unfit to stand trial on mental health grounds and found to have aided and abetted the offending, but faced no criminal conviction.[The Guardian · ABC News]
Donaldson has been stripped of his knighthood and removed from the Privy Council since his conviction.[The Guardian]

Jeffrey Donaldson, 63, was convicted in June of one count of rape, 13 counts of indecent assault and four counts of gross indecency.[The Guardian · ABC News]
The offences involved two girls and were committed between 1985 and 2008.[The Guardian · ABC News]
Judge Paul Ramsey sentenced Donaldson to 11 years for offences against one victim and four years for the other, to run consecutively.[ABC News]
Donaldson led the DUP from 2021 until 2024, when he was charged with historical sexual offences; he denied the charges.[The Guardian · ABC News]
Donaldson's wife, Eleanor, 60, was found unfit to stand trial on mental health grounds and found to have aided and abetted the offending, but faced no criminal conviction.[The Guardian · ABC News]
Since his conviction, Donaldson has been stripped of his knighthood and removed from the Privy Council.[The Guardian]

Earlier reporting described the sentencing as scheduled for the same day, while later reporting describes it as completed, so the timing rests on the later report.[The Guardian · ABC News]

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.