In 2024, the Offender Database reported that Jeffrey Donaldson, the Dromore Paedophile and Sex Offender, a former DUP leader, was scheduled to appear in court on charges of prior sexual offences.
Jeffrey Donaldson (61) and his wife Eleanor Donaldson (58), of Dromore, appeared in Newry Magistrates’ Court this morning (Wednesday) for a preliminary enquiry (PE), which is the procedural process by which a matter is referred to a higher court.
Jeffrey Donaldson is suspected of 18 offences, including one act of rape, four counts of gross indecency with or towards a juvenile, and 13 counts of indecent assault on a female between 1985 and 2008.
Lady Eleanor Donaldson (following in the footsteps of the knight of the realm Jimmy Savile) is facing five allegations, including abetting rape, cruelty to a person under the age of 16, and three instances of aiding and abetting indecent assault.
At the start of the brief hearing, the couple was asked to confirm their identities and birth dates. Before a prosecution lawyer presented the court with the paperwork, it was established that there was a prima facie case to answer.
They admitted they were aware of the charges against them, and when asked whether they wanted to respond, Jeffrey Donaldson said, “Not at this stage.”
After determining that there was a prima facie case to answer, the Judge discharged the defendants on their existing bail terms and referred the case to Newry Crown Court for arraignment on 10 September 2024.
UPDATE 2025
The judge states that ‘genuine medical concerns’ are postponing the trial of Jeffrey Donaldson and Eleanor Donaldson, despite their ability to walk in and out of court unaided.
The former DUP leader has entered a plea of not guilty to 18 historical sexual offences, while his wife refutes five charges of aiding and abetting.
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