Judge tells child sex abuser Jeffrey Donaldson he showed 'not one word of regret' as ex-DUP leader is jailed for 15 years
Jeffrey Donaldson, who led the Democratic Unionist Party before his arrest, faces sentencing today after being convicted of 18 counts of sexual abuse against two victims who were children when the offences took place.Jeffrey Donaldson and his wife Eleanor, who was found to have aided and abetted his crimes but cannot be imprisoned on mental health grounds.
Jeffrey Donaldson, 63, was sentenced to 15 years at Newry Crown Court for 18 historical sex offences against two women when they were children, including rape — completing what Judge Paul Ramsey called a 'catastrophic descent into disgrace'. One victim told the court in a written impact statement: 'Every day I pray God will let me die.' Due to automatic 50% remission, Donaldson will serve 7.5 years in prison and 7.5 years on licence, and has been placed on the sex offender register indefinitely.
The judge condemned Donaldson for having 'doubled down on his denials' and said there had not been, and would not be, 'one word of regret, apology or shame.'
His wife Eleanor, 60, was found at a trial of the facts to have aided and abetted him by concealing the abuse for more than two decades, including witnessing one assault herself.
The DUP said 'justice has been done' and that Donaldson 'deserves every day' of his sentence for what it called 'vile and disgusting crimes against innocent child victims.'
