Former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson convicted of child rape and sex abuse

On Monday, a jury in Northern Ireland found former Democratic Unionist Party leader Jeffrey Donaldson guilty of 18 historical sexual offences.

The charges included child rape and indecent assault against two victims who were children at the time of the attacks decades ago. His wife, Eleanor, was also found by the jury to have aided and abetted her husband’s crimes during a separate assessment of the facts. This conviction marks a massive fall for the once-powerful politician who led Northern Ireland's largest unionist party while publicly championing conservative family values.

Donaldson was remanded into custody and now faces a mandatory lengthy prison sentence, with formal sentencing scheduled for later this year.