Former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson sentenced to 15 years for child sexual abuse – latest updates

Donaldson has been found guilty of 18 counts of sexual abuse against two women when they were children

The DUP has disowned its former leader and condemned his crimes but faced a backlash from supporters amid allegations the party turned a blind eye to other misbehaviour by Donaldson, including drunkenness and sexual harassment.

The jury in the four-week trial found that his wife, Eleanor, aided and abetted her husband’s offending. The 60-year-old was deemed unfit to stand trial on mental health grounds and faced a trial of the facts, which tests evidence but does not result in a criminal conviction.