Jeffrey Donaldson should serve at least ten years, court hears

The former DUP leader has been found guilty of 18 counts of sex abuse and one count of rape against two children.

Although court was in session today, it is likely it will be October before the former Stormont minister will be sentenced.

The former MP was convicted in June of 18 counts of sex abuse after the women came forward to PSNI.

His offending took place over more than two decades between 1985 and 2008.

63-year-old Donaldson arrived at Newry court via prison van from Maghaberry Prison where he is being held in the hospital wing of the high security jail.

Rosemary Walsh KC, speaking on behalf of the prosecution told Judge Paul Ramsey that the starting point for such crimes was 10 years.

In the instance of the rape, the victim known as Complainant B, was nine or ten years-old at the time.

In relation to Complainant A, Ms Walsh said the maximum sentence for the crimes committed against her was also ten years.

Ms Walsh asked the judge to take into consideration the victim impact statements.

Donaldson's defence barrister Keiron Vaughan KC told the court that Donaldson was "of previous good character" and that there had been no offending of this type over the last 18 years.

"In that period of time, Mr Donaldson has or did achieve significant things in his life," he said.

"I readily accept that these convictions obliterate all those achievements that he has made in his life, and that's certainly something he will have to live with."

Judge Ramsey told the hearing that he had the two victim impact statements, a probation pre-sentence report and and the SOCPA (sex offenders) application in the case, which would all be considered before passing sentence.

Donaldson's wife, Eleanor Donaldson, was not present in court.

She had faced a trial of the facts due to her "deteriorating mental health", meaning the jury was asked to judge whether she had been guilty of the things she was accused of, while she did not participate in the trial.

She was found to have aided and abetted her husband's offending.

Mrs Donaldson will appear at a separate hearing on November 13.