Former DUP Leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson Faces Additional Charges as Sex Offence Allegations Escalate

Former DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has been charged with an additional seven sex offenses, bringing the total number of allegations against him to 18. His wife has also been charged with five counts of aiding and abetting him.

Political journalist @alixculbertson

Tuesday, July 2, 2024, 18:

Ex-DUP chief Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has been accused of additional sexual offense charges, raising the number to 18.

The politician from Northern Ireland faces an additional seven charges following a review of police evidence by the Public Prosecision Service (PPS), a standard procedure in such cases.

In his April court appearance, the former Member of Parliament faced charges related to 11 sexual offenses.

Lady Eleanor Donaldson, 58, his spouse, was initially charged with four counts related to assisting him but will now confront five charges.

The alleged crimes are said to have occurred from 1985 to 2006, involving two purported victims.

The pair were granted bail following their court appearance at Newry Magistrates Court in County Down on April 24.

They are scheduled for a preliminary hearing in court on Wednesday, where they are anticipated to enter a plea of not guilty.

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Donaldson, the longest-tenured Member of Parliament for Northern Ireland, stepped down from his position as leader of the DUP after being formally charged on March 28, subsequent to a full day of interrogation.

His party suspended him, and he continued to serve as an independent MP until the election was announced for May. He has decided not to seek re-election for his Lagan Valley seat, which he held for 27 years.

In his correspondence with the party, the 61-year-old stated he would vigorously defend himself against the accusations.

In 2016, Donaldson received a knighthood in recognition of his contributions to politics

He facilitated the Democratic Unionist Party's £1 billion confidence and supply agreement with Theresa May's minority Conservative government, a time during which the party played a pivotal role in Parliament from 2017 to 2019.

In a recent development, he brokered a deal and guided his party to rejoin the power-sharing administration at Stormont, after a two-year boycott due to disagreements regarding trade rules post-Brexit.

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