Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the former leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), has appeared in court in Newry to face 18 sex offence charges, an increase from the 11 initially levelled against him. His wife, Lady Eleanor Donaldson, is also being charged, with the number of charges against her rising from four to five.
The accusations relate to events that allegedly took place between 1985 and 2008 and concern two complainants. The couple were both arrested at their County Down address in March and subsequently released on bail. Sir Jeffrey resigned as DUP leader when he was charged but remained as a MP until Parliament was dissolved in preparation for the recent snap general election.
Sir Jeffrey was the longest-serving MP in Northern Ireland and had a long political career in the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) before leaving in 2003 to join the DUP. He was instrumental in steering the party back into government after a two-year boycott of the Northern Ireland devolved institutions. Sir Jeffrey was knighted in 2016 for his political service.
The Donaldsons’ first court appearance was held in Newry in April, and they provided only basic information before being granted bail. A preliminary hearing was subsequently called in which no plea was entered. It is expected that they will be invited to answer the charges at a later date
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