Northern Ireland's former unionist leader convicted of decades-old child sex abuse claims

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: PBS/AP

LONDON (AP) — Jeffrey Donaldson, the former leader of Northern Ireland's largest unionist party, was convicted Monday of rape and sex abuse charges involving two girls decades ago.

Donaldson, 63, was found guilty at Newry Crown Court of one count of rape, four counts of gross indecency and 13 indecent assault charges involving two girls from 1985 to 2008.

Donaldson's arrest two years ago ended his career as one of the leading Northern Ireland voices in favor of maintaining the historic ties with the United Kingdom. He resigned as leader of the conservative Democratic Unionist Party, or DUP, and gave up his seat in the U.K. Parliament.
...
Donaldson's wife, Eleanor Donaldson, was found to have aided and abetted her husband's offenses for witnessing the abuse and doing nothing to intervene. Because of mental health issues, she faced only a fact-finding hearing that could not result in a conviction.


Read more: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/northern-irelands-former-unionist-leader-convicted-of-decades-old-child-sex-abuse-claims

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How four weeks in court unravelled 'sinful and deceitful' Jeffrey Donaldson

But over the next four weeks, as the 29-year Westminster veteran heard the case against him over 18 charges, allegedly committed against two women when they were children, he cut an increasingly lonely figure.
...
Whether through the language used by those testifying, the quoting of bible verses or the Ichthys - otherwise known as the 'Jesus fish' - pinned to Donaldson's lapel, Christianity was a regular theme over the course of the trial.

Through his life in the public spotlight, the former DUP leader had often spoken of his faith, including in an interview just months before his arrest in which he said it helped "anchor" him in the "storms" of politics.

His victims talked of their faith too.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8x2e0pp1exo

[stopdiggin]

1. more faith based sexual abuse ...

(with apologies for both snark and overt generalization - - fully recognized, and with no attempt to defend)
But - it maybe also bears saying that the Irish have long been an especially sanctimonious bunch of pricks ...
If that is possible without offending 'faith' in general.

[mactire]

4. Divided Ulster

Your ignorant and malicious statement about the Irish shows your lack of understanding and knowledge about them (you undoubtedly are remiss in your social awareness and education). For one, Donaldson is a Unionist/Loyalist that refers to himself as British, not Irish. His ancestors and others of his ilk were planted by the brits on land confiscated from the natives,sending many of them to other parts of Ireland or to emigrate to other lands.They were always abusive to the native Irish (even before the statelet of "Northern Ireland " was maliciously created in 1921, causing even stronger division in the society), The natives/nationalists tended to identify as Catholic and held on tight to their religious identity as they had very little else. There were some amongst them that exploited the situation, often clergy that could get away with it, a dynamic found amongst all religions and people of power. In my years of living on that island( I don't identify with religion) I encountered many good folks, even some from the loyalist side in the occupied north. Do not generalize these folks with a stupid statement, YOU prick No argument

[Miguelito Loveless]

2. Conservative/Evangelical

religions are all about committing the very sins they preach against.

[deurbano]

3. Is Elon going to incite mob action to torch homes of/commit violence against Jeffrey Donaldson's fellow white unionists

and loyalists?