Overview
- A jury at Newry Crown Court found the former DUP leader guilty on all 18 counts after three days of deliberations, returning verdicts that included one count of rape, 13 indecent assaults and four counts of gross indecency.
- Judge Paul Ramsey remanded Jeffrey Donaldson in custody, told him a lengthy custodial sentence was inevitable and listed sentencing for September 25 with placement on the sex offenders register expected.
- A trial of the facts found Eleanor (Lady) Donaldson to have committed acts related to aiding and abetting but she was ruled medically unfit for a conventional criminal trial and cannot receive a criminal conviction.
- The charges arose from allegations by two women that they were abused as children between 1985 and 2008; both complainants gave evidence under lifetime anonymity and used remote video links during the multi‑week trial.
- Donaldson denied the allegations over two days of evidence, disputing the meaning of a 2020 letter and calling the accusers untrue, and the verdict will carry major personal and political consequences for Northern Ireland and prompt steps such as victim impact statements and an appeals process to follow.