Prosecutors say Donaldson could face more than 10 years in prison
The former Democratic Unionist Party leader was convicted on 18 counts. The court is expected to sentence him next month.
Prosecutors have told a Newry court that Jeffrey Donaldson could face more than 10 years in prison for sexually abusing two women when they were children. The figure is the prosecution’s position; the court has yet to decide the sentence.
At a pre-sentencing hearing, prosecutor Rosemary Walsh KC argued the age difference between Donaldson and the victims should count as an aggravating factor. She said the historical legislation did not distinguish between child and adult victims across all the counts.
Walsh also referred to victim impact statements describing continuing effects of the abuse. The court heard that Complainant A described feeling that her childhood had been taken from her, while Complainant B said the abuse had affected her every day.
Defence barrister Kieran Vaughan KC asked the judge to consider Donaldson’s age, previous good character and the absence of similar offending in the past 18 years as mitigating factors.
Donaldson, who led the Democratic Unionist Party from 2021 to 2024, was convicted in June on 18 counts, including one count of rape. He plans to appeal and is expected to be sentenced next month.
