Wife of jailed ex-leader of Northern Ireland’s largest pro-UK party put on sex offenders register

LONDON (AP) — The wife of Jeffrey Donaldson — the former leader of Northern Ireland’s largest unionist party who last month was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the rape and sex abuse of two girls decades ago — was placed on the sex offenders register for five years on Friday.

During her husband’s trial at Newry Crown Court, Eleanor Donaldson, 60, was found to have aided and abetted his offenses by witnessing the abuse and doing nothing to intervene. Because of mental health issues, she faced only a fact-finding hearing that couldn’t result in a conviction.

At Friday’s hearing, Judge Paul Ramsey explained the court order to her when she appeared briefly on a remote link. She appeared on the link with her lawyer and kept her eyes closed and her head bowed as the judge addressed her.

As well as being put on the sex offenders register, she was given a three-year supervision and treatment order.

Being on the sex offenders register will require Donaldson to comply with strict reporting and lifestyle rules managed by the police.

Both of the victims in the case were in court on Friday.

Jeffrey Donaldson, 63, was one of Northern Ireland’s best-known politicians until his arrest stunned his political colleagues and wider society two years ago.

He was convicted in June of one count of rape, four counts of gross indecency and 13 indecent assault charges involving two girls between 1985 and 2008. He had denied the charges.

Donaldson led the Democratic Unionist Party, the biggest party in favor of keeping Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom, from 2021 until 2024. He resigned as leader of the conservative DUP after his arrest and gave up the seat in the U.K. House of Commons that he had held since 1997.

The two victims testified that Donaldson groped them when they were around primary school age. The older of the two, referred to in court as Complainant B, said that he raped her.

The Associated Press doesn’t name victims of alleged sexual violence, and U.K. law protects their identities from the media for life.

The Associated Press