Jeffrey Donaldson

Jeffrey Donaldson is a former leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and long-serving UK Member of Parliament. His career ended following his arrest on March 28, 2024, for non-recent sexual offences. On June 22, 2026, he was found guilty at Newry Crown Court of all 18 charges, including one count of rape, 13 counts of indecent assault, and four counts of gross indecency, committed against two victims who were children at the time of the abuse. He is currently remanded in custody awaiting sentencing. Previously, Donaldson was involved in a 2009 expenses controversy regarding the reimbursement of roughly £555 for pay-per-view films in hotels, which he later repaid. While he was a prominent politician, investigations also revealed a private life marked by infidelity and, in 2006, visits to a London gay sauna, which critics contrasted with his public stance against homosexual practice. Following his 2026 conviction, he resigned from the Privy Council and requested the revocation of his 2016 knighthood.