Defendant to enter plea to sex offence charges- QHN

The former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has arrived at court in the latest stage of his prosecution for alleged historical sex offences.

He will be asked to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty.

His wife, Lady Donaldson, is a co-accused and will appear with him for the plea hearing – the legal term is an arraignment – at Newry Crown Court.

In July, a judge ruled there was sufficient evidence for the pair to face trial.

Sir Jeffrey, 61, stands accused of 18 offences involving two alleged victims.

The ex-MP is charged with rape, four counts of gross indecency and 13 counts of indecent assault.

His offences are alleged to have happened between 1985 and 2008.

Lady Donaldson, 58, faces charges of aiding and abetting between 1987 and 2008 in connection with the alleged offences.

Both accused were previously remanded on bail.

They were arrested at their home on 28 March and charged after a day of questioning at Antrim police station.

They first appeared in court in April.

When he announced he was quitting as DUP leader, Sir Jeffrey said he would be strenuously contesting the charges.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson was elected leader of the DUP in 2021.

He was Northern Ireland’s longest-serving MP, having been first elected to Parliament in 1997 as a representative of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)

He first entered politics when he worked for MP Enoch Powell between 1982 and 1984 after joining the UUP.

Sir Jeffrey’s own career in frontline politics began in 1985 when he was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly as its youngest member.

In 2003, he left the UUP to join the DUP due to his long-standing opposition to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and the leadership of David Trimble.

Sir Jeffrey recently steered the DUP back into government in Northern Ireland ending a two-year boycott of the devolved institutions.

He was knighted in 2016 for political service.

He married his wife Eleanor in 1987.