Jeffrey Donaldson due to be sentenced for 18 offences

Jeffrey Donaldson is due to be sentenced at Newry Crown Court on October 15, after being convicted of 18 historical offences against two women who were children at the time. The sentence had not been announced in reports published before the hearing concluded. The offences comprise one count of assault, 13 counts of indecent assault and four counts of gross indecency. The conduct was reported to have occurred between 1985 and 2008. Donaldson, a former Democratic Unionist Party leader, was convicted following a trial at Newry Crown Court earlier in 2026. Judge Paul Ramsey KC is to determine the custodial outcome. At a hearing before sentencing, Donaldson’s counsel, Kieran Vaughan KC, said a lengthy prison sentence was accepted as likely. Donaldson has indicated that he intends to appeal his convictions. Sentencing guidance cited in reports gives 11 to 12 years as an appropriate range in a multiple-offence, multiple-victim case, drawing on a previous court decision. The guidance also includes examples of sentences for assault offences ranging from two years to more than 20 years, depending on the circumstances.