1 min readBy Rory Carroll Ireland correspondent

Former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson sentenced to 15 years for child sexual offences

By Rory Carroll Ireland correspondentOctober 15, 2026Zimbabwe

Image via The Guardian. Supplied with the article; rights remain with the copyright holder.

Donaldson was found guilty in June of 18 counts of sexual abuse including one rape between 1985 and 2008

Jeffrey Donaldson has been sentenced to 15 years for sexual offences against two women who were children when he abused them, paving what was described as a “catastrophic descent into disgrace”.

The sentence at Newry crown court completed the downfall on Thursday of a former Democratic Unionist party (DUP) leader who once dominated unionism in Northern Ireland.

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Northern Ireland Crime Rape and sexual assault Violence against women and girls Northern Irish politics Sentencing

About this article

Length: 78 words · 1 min read
Published: October 15, 2026
Byline: Rory Carroll Ireland correspondent
Source: The Guardian

Former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson sentenced to 15 years for child sexual offences | Mukoko News