Parties raise further questions over latest Jeffrey Donaldson allegations

WorldPolitics
7 Jul 2026 • 8:17 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

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Parties raise further questions over latest Jeffrey Donaldson allegations

Sinn Féin and the Alliance Party have said there are further questions for the DUP to answer about the behaviour of former leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson.

The calls come amid new allegations about Donaldson, who was last month convicted of sex offences against two women when they were children, including one count of rape.

The Belfast Telegraph reported on Tuesday that a woman has made a complaint to police that Donaldson had sexually assaulted her in the DUP Westminster offices in 2016.

Sinn Féin vice president and Stormont First Minister Michelle O’Neill said there are questions to answer for the DUP (Liam McBurney/PA) (PA Wire)

A PSNI spokesperson told the Press Association: “Police have received a report about an allegation of a non-recent offence and are assessing the information.”

A DUP spokesperson said: “The party never received any report or complaint regarding these allegations.

“We encourage anyone with information or a complaint regarding Jeffrey Donaldson to report it to the police.”

The DUP has previously commissioned an independent review into issues raised since Donaldson was convicted.

First Minister and Sinn Féin vice president Michelle O’Neill has said there are “lots of questions” for the DUP to answer.

Speaking to the media in Dublin, Ms O’Neill said: “From Jeffrey Donaldson’s conviction for the most heinous and ugly crimes, what we are seeing is a drip-feed of story after story of who knew what within the DUP.

“It is very clear that Jeffrey Donaldson led a double life. Even more serious than that, it is very clear this man was a predator towards young women.

“It is very clear over the course of the last 48 hours there are more and more stories, more and more people stepping forward to say that they too were a victim of Jeffrey Donaldson.”

Ms O’Neill added: “Increasingly, we have lots of questions for the DUP to answer.

“I think it is very, very important that they step forward, they answer the questions as to who knew what, when they knew it, who they spoke to about it, when it was reported.”

Following the latest allegations, Sinn Féin MLA Deirdre Hargey said the public are “entitled to answers”.

She said: “The DUP cannot hide behind their own self-styled review to avoid scrutiny.”

Alliance Party leader Eóin Tennyson said the latest allegations about Donaldson are “deeply concerning”.

He said: “These serious questions cannot simply be brushed aside.”

Former DUP leader Donaldson is in custody awaiting sentencing following his conviction for serious sexual offences against children.

Subsequent media reports have raised questions about how much was known about Donaldson’s wider conduct in the period prior to his 2024 arrest over sex abuse allegations.

Some reports have contained claims that Donaldson was allegedly engaged in behaviour in his private life that, although legal, was at odds with positions he adopted publicly.

Current DUP leader Gavin Robinson has pledged that the independent review he has commissioned into Donaldson “won’t leave any stone unturned”.

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