,As per rule 3, post the full text of the article please.
Disgusting.
Paywall. Copy pasta.
The full number of historic sex charges faced by former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson can today be revealed by Sunday Life.
Until now only the type of offences of which the Lagan Valley MP is accused had been announced, in addition to what his wife Eleanor Donaldson is facing. Both deny all charges.
Said by sources to date back “decades” the 11 sex crime charges laid against Sir Jeffrey Donaldson are:
■ A single count of rape;
■ A single count of gross indecency;
■ Nine counts of indecent assault.
Lady Donaldson (57) is charged with aiding and abetting additional offences in relation to her husband’s case.
The charges against the pair will be formally put to them when the case is heard at Newry Magistrates Court for the first time on April 24.
A number of sources have claimed the first contact made with PSNI officers about the case was initiated in January, two months before police said they received a complaint.
Here ya go;
The 11 sex crime charges levelled against Jeffrey Donaldson
Sunday Life reveals for the first time the exact allegations faced by ex-DUP leader
Eleanor and Jeffrey Donaldson in 2021 (Photo by Pacemaker Press)
Jeffrey Donaldson takes a selfie with party faithful (Photo by Colm Lenaghan /Pacemaker)
Jeffrey Donaldson and his wife at Hillsborough Castle last year (Photo by Brian Lawless)
Eleanor and Jeffrey Donaldson in 2021 (Photo by Pacemaker Press)
Jeffrey Donaldson takes a selfie with party faithful (Photo by Colm Lenaghan /Pacemaker)
Christopher Woodhouse and Ciaran Barnes
Today at 06:50
The full number of historic sex charges faced by former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson can today be revealed by Sunday Life.
Until now only the type of offences of which the Lagan Valley MP is accused had been announced, in addition to what his wife Eleanor Donaldson is facing. Both deny all charges.
Said by sources to date back “decades” the 11 sex crime charges laid against Sir Jeffrey Donaldson are:
■ A single count of rape;
■ A single count of gross indecency;
■ Nine counts of indecent assault.
Lady Donaldson (57) is charged with aiding and abetting additional offences in relation to her husband’s case.
The charges against the pair will be formally put to them when the case is heard at Newry Magistrates Court for the first time on April 24.
A number of sources have claimed the first contact made with PSNI officers about the case was initiated in January, two months before police said they received a complaint.
In a statement to the Belfast Telegraph yesterday, the PSNI said it first received a report on March 7 this year. Interviews with two alleged victims took place over the following days.
When the earlier date of contact was put to the police, a spokesperson said the service had “nothing further to add”.
Legal sources have said while it would not be impossible to conduct Achieving Best Evidence interviews so soon after a complaint, it would be “most definitely unusual”.
Jeffrey Donaldson and his wife at Hillsborough Castle last year (Photo by Brian Lawless)
The further light shed on the case comes just after it was announced the 61-year-old politician had been suspended from his role as the prime minister’s trade envoy to Egypt and Cameroon.
He was appointed to the unpaid and voluntary role by Boris Johnson in August 2021.
Another voluntary and unpaid role which could be in doubt is his chairmanship of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Formula 1.
The MP is still listed as the chair of and point of contact for the group, the vice-chairs of which include former Northern Ireland secretaries Lord Hain and Karen Bradley.
Read more
Donaldson all smiles with church leaders night before arrest for alleged historical sex offences
PSNI insists complaints against Jeffrey Donaldson made in March amid date speculation
PSNI probing comments made online about Jeffrey Donaldson case
A devoted follower of Formula 1 racing along with his wife, it’s highly unlikely Jeffrey Donaldson will attend the upcoming British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July, which had been an annual fixture for him.
In an interview in 2015, when asked what his “best buy” had been he said: “Two tickets to a Formula One Grand Prix — my wife is a huge fan of Lewis Hamilton and Formula One racing.
“I got her the tickets for a Christmas present and I’m still earning brownie points for that one.”
In 2020 he led calls by MPs for the joint record-holding champion driver to be knighted for his achievements in motorsport.
He said: “The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Formula 1 supports the call for Lewis Hamilton to receive national recognition of his tremendous sporting achievements for British motorsports.
“With his record-breaking season this year, we believe now is the right time to do this.”
Sir Lewis was made a knight bachelor in the 2021 New Year’s Honours list, the same order of chivalry of which Sir Jeffrey was made a member.
As chair of the APPG on Formula 1, Mr Donaldson has enjoyed trips to races in the UK and further afield worth thousands of pounds.
Last July he was given two tickets with hospitality to that year’s race by Silverstone Circuits Ltd in his capacity as chair of the APPG with a total value of £2,750.
What Jeffrey Donaldson’s arrest means for the DUP
The role also saw him travel to Bahrain courtesy of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain to attend the country’s 2019 Grand Prix race, with the trip valued at £1,300, according to the register of members’ interests.
He is also a vice-chair of the APPG on Gibraltar and visited the British overseas territory to mark its national day last September in a five-day trip, the £1,711 cost of which was paid for by the government of Gibraltar, which was also declared on the register of interests.
Now sitting as an independent, and unlikely to resign his Lagan Valley seat before this autumn’s Westminster election, the same register lists his 57-year-old wife as being employed as his secretary in a role paid for by parliamentary expenses.
Eleanor and Jeffrey Donaldson in 2021 (Photo by Pacemaker Press)
According to information published by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, the staffing payroll costs claimed by Sir Jeffrey for the year 2022 to 2023 were £168,721.61.
However, it is not known how much of that was to pay for Lady Donaldson’s role as her husband’s secretary.
Though he has had his membership of the DUP suspended, his constituency office — the running costs of which are met in part by Parliament — is still listed at the same address as the Lagan Valley DUP association in the Old Town Hall in Lisburn.
This newspaper revealed last week that Mr Donaldson would not enter the parliamentary estate in Westminster before the conclusion of the criminal case against him and his wife.
Under current rules, MPs cannot be barred from attending the Commons, even if they have been charged with serious crimes. Any decision not to attend is voluntary.
Only police can bar an MP from the parliamentary estate as part of the accused’s bail conditions.
But sources confirmed the DUP had informed Commons authorities the Lagan Valley MP would not be entering the estate while facing charges of rape, gross indecency and indecent assault.
Sunday Life has tried to contact the couple by calling at their addresses in Dromore and in the London borough of Greenwich without success.
Bail conditions mean the couple are prevented from
DUP’s Gavin Robinson: Recent days have been ‘difficult and shocking’ for NI
5 comments
,As per rule 3, post the full text of the article please.
Disgusting.
Paywall. Copy pasta.
The full number of historic sex charges faced by former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson can today be revealed by Sunday Life.
Until now only the type of offences of which the Lagan Valley MP is accused had been announced, in addition to what his wife Eleanor Donaldson is facing. Both deny all charges.
Said by sources to date back “decades” the 11 sex crime charges laid against Sir Jeffrey Donaldson are:
■ A single count of rape;
■ A single count of gross indecency;
■ Nine counts of indecent assault.
Lady Donaldson (57) is charged with aiding and abetting additional offences in relation to her husband’s case.
The charges against the pair will be formally put to them when the case is heard at Newry Magistrates Court for the first time on April 24.
A number of sources have claimed the first contact made with PSNI officers about the case was initiated in January, two months before police said they received a complaint.
Here ya go;
The 11 sex crime charges levelled against Jeffrey Donaldson
Sunday Life reveals for the first time the exact allegations faced by ex-DUP leader
Eleanor and Jeffrey Donaldson in 2021 (Photo by Pacemaker Press)
Jeffrey Donaldson takes a selfie with party faithful (Photo by Colm Lenaghan /Pacemaker)
Jeffrey Donaldson and his wife at Hillsborough Castle last year (Photo by Brian Lawless)
Eleanor and Jeffrey Donaldson in 2021 (Photo by Pacemaker Press)
Jeffrey Donaldson takes a selfie with party faithful (Photo by Colm Lenaghan /Pacemaker)
Christopher Woodhouse and Ciaran Barnes
Today at 06:50
The full number of historic sex charges faced by former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson can today be revealed by Sunday Life.
Until now only the type of offences of which the Lagan Valley MP is accused had been announced, in addition to what his wife Eleanor Donaldson is facing. Both deny all charges.
Said by sources to date back “decades” the 11 sex crime charges laid against Sir Jeffrey Donaldson are:
■ A single count of rape;
■ A single count of gross indecency;
■ Nine counts of indecent assault.
Lady Donaldson (57) is charged with aiding and abetting additional offences in relation to her husband’s case.
The charges against the pair will be formally put to them when the case is heard at Newry Magistrates Court for the first time on April 24.
A number of sources have claimed the first contact made with PSNI officers about the case was initiated in January, two months before police said they received a complaint.
In a statement to the Belfast Telegraph yesterday, the PSNI said it first received a report on March 7 this year. Interviews with two alleged victims took place over the following days.
When the earlier date of contact was put to the police, a spokesperson said the service had “nothing further to add”.
Legal sources have said while it would not be impossible to conduct Achieving Best Evidence interviews so soon after a complaint, it would be “most definitely unusual”.
Jeffrey Donaldson and his wife at Hillsborough Castle last year (Photo by Brian Lawless)
The further light shed on the case comes just after it was announced the 61-year-old politician had been suspended from his role as the prime minister’s trade envoy to Egypt and Cameroon.
He was appointed to the unpaid and voluntary role by Boris Johnson in August 2021.
Another voluntary and unpaid role which could be in doubt is his chairmanship of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Formula 1.
The MP is still listed as the chair of and point of contact for the group, the vice-chairs of which include former Northern Ireland secretaries Lord Hain and Karen Bradley.
Read more
Donaldson all smiles with church leaders night before arrest for alleged historical sex offences
PSNI insists complaints against Jeffrey Donaldson made in March amid date speculation
PSNI probing comments made online about Jeffrey Donaldson case
A devoted follower of Formula 1 racing along with his wife, it’s highly unlikely Jeffrey Donaldson will attend the upcoming British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July, which had been an annual fixture for him.
In an interview in 2015, when asked what his “best buy” had been he said: “Two tickets to a Formula One Grand Prix — my wife is a huge fan of Lewis Hamilton and Formula One racing.
“I got her the tickets for a Christmas present and I’m still earning brownie points for that one.”
In 2020 he led calls by MPs for the joint record-holding champion driver to be knighted for his achievements in motorsport.
He said: “The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Formula 1 supports the call for Lewis Hamilton to receive national recognition of his tremendous sporting achievements for British motorsports.
“With his record-breaking season this year, we believe now is the right time to do this.”
Sir Lewis was made a knight bachelor in the 2021 New Year’s Honours list, the same order of chivalry of which Sir Jeffrey was made a member.
As chair of the APPG on Formula 1, Mr Donaldson has enjoyed trips to races in the UK and further afield worth thousands of pounds.
Last July he was given two tickets with hospitality to that year’s race by Silverstone Circuits Ltd in his capacity as chair of the APPG with a total value of £2,750.
What Jeffrey Donaldson’s arrest means for the DUP
The role also saw him travel to Bahrain courtesy of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain to attend the country’s 2019 Grand Prix race, with the trip valued at £1,300, according to the register of members’ interests.
He is also a vice-chair of the APPG on Gibraltar and visited the British overseas territory to mark its national day last September in a five-day trip, the £1,711 cost of which was paid for by the government of Gibraltar, which was also declared on the register of interests.
Now sitting as an independent, and unlikely to resign his Lagan Valley seat before this autumn’s Westminster election, the same register lists his 57-year-old wife as being employed as his secretary in a role paid for by parliamentary expenses.
Eleanor and Jeffrey Donaldson in 2021 (Photo by Pacemaker Press)
According to information published by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, the staffing payroll costs claimed by Sir Jeffrey for the year 2022 to 2023 were £168,721.61.
However, it is not known how much of that was to pay for Lady Donaldson’s role as her husband’s secretary.
Though he has had his membership of the DUP suspended, his constituency office — the running costs of which are met in part by Parliament — is still listed at the same address as the Lagan Valley DUP association in the Old Town Hall in Lisburn.
This newspaper revealed last week that Mr Donaldson would not enter the parliamentary estate in Westminster before the conclusion of the criminal case against him and his wife.
Under current rules, MPs cannot be barred from attending the Commons, even if they have been charged with serious crimes. Any decision not to attend is voluntary.
Only police can bar an MP from the parliamentary estate as part of the accused’s bail conditions.
But sources confirmed the DUP had informed Commons authorities the Lagan Valley MP would not be entering the estate while facing charges of rape, gross indecency and indecent assault.
Sunday Life has tried to contact the couple by calling at their addresses in Dromore and in the London borough of Greenwich without success.
Bail conditions mean the couple are prevented from
DUP’s Gavin Robinson: Recent days have been ‘difficult and shocking’ for NI