Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, former chief of Northern Eire’s greatest pro-UK occasion, appeared in court docket on Wednesday charged with rape and 10 different historic intercourse offences in a case that has shocked the area and sparked his humiliating exit from native politics.
Donaldson, 61, arrived at Newry magistrates’ court docket within the firm of his lawyer however didn’t take questions. He has mentioned he’ll strenuously contest the fees, which allegedly passed off between 1985 and 2006 and concerned two alleged victims.
The previous Democratic Unionist Occasion chief stood in the back of the small courtroom as Decide Eamonn King learn out the fees: one cost of gross indecency in the direction of a baby between 2005 and 2006; one depend of rape and 9 counts of indecent assault.
His spouse Eleanor, 58, who faces 4 prices, together with aiding and abetting, was additionally in court docket. The couple have been bailed to stay at separate addresses with Donaldson in London and his spouse within the household residence in Northern Eire, however the choose allowed them now to have contact with one another.
The pair sat individually, every flanked by court docket officers. Donaldson stared straight forward. He spoke solely to say he understood the fees and to verify his date of beginning.
They weren’t requested to enter a plea.
The listening to lasted eight minutes. Due to the character of the fees, the case is predicted to switch to the Crown Court docket. Decide King mentioned the subsequent listening to could be in Newry magistrates’ court docket on Might 22 to debate the timetable, however the defendants weren’t required to attend.
Neither Donaldson nor his spouse spoke to a crowd of reporters exterior the courtroom. Round 30 folks gathered to look at him come out of court docket, and some shouted abuse.
Donaldson, who has been an MP at Westminster since 1997, resigned as DUP chief on March 29, a day after being arrested at his residence by police and charged.
It was a shocking downfall for a person who had been on the peak of his political energy.
Firstly of the yr, Donaldson had clinched a take care of the UK authorities to allay his occasion’s lingering considerations over the Windsor framework deal agreed in February 2023 between the UK and EU.
The concessions he secured in a deal dubbed “Safeguarding the Union” enabled him to finish his occasion’s two-year boycott of Northern Eire’s power-sharing authorities at Stormont.
Donaldson has not resigned as an MP however DUP interim chief Gavin Robinson confirmed the occasion was in search of a candidate for the previous chief’s Lagan Valley constituency for the UK common election anticipated later this yr.
Donaldson’s exit comes at a tough time for unionism in Northern Eire.
The DUP, which lengthy dominated the area’s politics, was pushed into second place by nationalist occasion Sinn Féin in regional elections in 2022 and needed to serve beside a Sinn Féin first minister.
