Ex DUP leader Donaldson guilty of child sex abuse charges including one of rape

Ex DUP leader Donaldson guilty of child sex abuse charges including one of rape 5 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Julian O'Neill , Crime and justice correspondent and Luke Sproule , BBC News NI PA Media Jeffrey Donaldson arriving at Newry Crown Court on Monday morning Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has been convicted of 18 counts of sex abuse, including one count of rape, which he committed against two women when they were children. The 63-year-old former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader showed no emotion and sat in the dock with his hands clasped as the verdicts were read out at Newry Crown Court on Monday. His wife Lady Eleanor Donaldson had faced a trial of the facts on mental health grounds, meaning the jury was asked to find out if she did the acts or did not do the acts of which she was accused. They found that she had done the acts in relation to all five charges – including four counts of aiding and abetting her husband's offending. The jury of seven men and five women deliberated for 10 hours over three days before coming to their verdicts. How four weeks in court unravelled 'sinful and deceitful' Jeffrey Donaldson Jeffrey Donaldson's life in politics: From DUP leader to convicted child sex abuser Warning: This article contains distressing information Donaldson, dressed in a dark blue suit, white shirt and pink tie, was in the dock at the back of Court One, between two custody officers. He was asked to stand for the verdicts. As he was found guilty of each charge, he showed no signs of emotion and stared straight ahead. Judge Paul Ramsey then remanded Donaldson in custody, telling court officers to "take Mr Donaldson down". Donaldson, who is due to be sentenced in September, was told it would be a lengthy one. He was then taken from Newry Crown Court in the back of a prison van. PA Media A prison van was seen leaving the courthouse shortly after 15:00 BST on Monday There were two victims in this case and they were referred to as Complainants A and B. Complainant A is the younger of the two women who Donaldson sexually abused as children. He was found guilty of eight offences against her, which occurred between 1999 and 2008. In her interviews with the Police Service of Northern Ireland. which were played in court, Complainant A described a number of encounters with Donaldson including a kiss in which she said he put his tongue in her mouth. She also said he had put his hands under her bra and rubbed her breasts. In another encounter, the court heard he used a bright light, possibly a torch, to look at her private parts, an experience that she said made her feel "really frightened". Complainant A also said his wife Eleanor Donaldson had witnessed the incident when he had rubbed her chest with his hand under her clothing, but did not intervene. The 10 remaining offences, including the one count of rape, related to Complainant B and were committed between 1985 and 1991. Like Complainant A, Complainant B took to the stand duri