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Northern Ireland’s Deputy First Minister, Emma Little-Pengelly, expressed her profound shock upon learning about the arrest and subsequent charges against former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Jeffrey Donaldson related to historical sexual abuse. In June, Donaldson was convicted on 18 counts of sexual abuse, including a charge of rape, involving two women who were children at the time of the offenses.
Little-Pengelly remarked that colleagues who have worked closely with Donaldson over the last two decades are equally “floored, shocked and utterly repulsed” by the revelations. Following his conviction, Donaldson announced his intention to appeal the verdict. A BBC Spotlight investigation aired after the guilty verdict shed light on the double life led by Donaldson. During the programme, former senior police officers and politicians discussed behavior they deemed hypocritical, warning that such conduct placed Donaldson at risk of being undermined by political adversaries.
Discussing the case on the BBC’s Red Lines podcast, Little-Pengelly emphasized that reports about Donaldson’s personal conduct do not diminish the severity of his crimes. She stated, “He’s been convicted of being a paedophile and a rapist, and yes, there’s all of these other allegations, but they absolutely pale into insignificance of that.” She added that the primary focus must remain on his conviction and on the victims who endured a traumatic journey to obtain justice.
Regarding allegations of problematic behavior, former DUP MP Ian Paisley recalled seeing Donaldson “blindingly drunk” during a St Patrick’s Day trip to Washington, DC. However, Little-Pengelly said she never witnessed any signs of excessive drinking or inappropriate conduct in her interactions with him. She noted that if any politician had acted in such a manner during high-profile events, it would have been widely discussed, especially among the many Northern Irish attendees. Little-Pengelly expressed astonishment that such concerns had not been raised over the past 20 years, mentioning that Donaldson typically had a glass of wine at events but was never visibly intoxicated. She concluded by highlighting his dedication, saying, “If anything, Jeffrey Donaldson was somebody who seemed to work all of the time.
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