Former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Jeffrey Donaldson has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for 18 historical sexual offences, including the rape of a child.
Donaldson, 63, was sentenced at Newry Crown Court on Thursday after being convicted in June of offences against two women when they were children.
The former Lagan Valley MP received 11 years in prison for the rape charge and other offences against one victim, followed by a further four years for offences against the second victim. The sentences are to run consecutively.
The offences took place between 1985 and 2008. Donaldson had been held at Maghaberry Prison in County Antrim while awaiting sentencing.
Sentencing him, Judge Paul Ramsey described the case as “disturbing and disquieting”. The court also heard that Donaldson had “stoutly maintained his denial of guilt” since his conviction.
The pre-sentence report assessed Donaldson as presenting a medium risk of reoffending, the judge said.
During the trial, one complainant described inappropriate touching and kissing by Donaldson, as well as an incident in which he used a light to examine her genitals.
The second complainant told the court she had been raped by Donaldson when she was of primary-school age and later subjected to further sexual assaults.
At a pre-sentencing hearing last month, the court heard details from victim-impact statements submitted by the two women.
Prosecution barrister Rosemary Walsh outlined the sentencing tariffs that applied to the historical offences, explaining that some carried maximum sentences of two years, while others carried maximum sentences of between 10 and 14 years.
She told the court that historical legislation did not distinguish between child and adult victims in every offence. The age difference between Donaldson and his victims should therefore be considered an aggravating factor, she said.
The court heard that one victim was nine or 10 during some of the offending, when Donaldson was aged 25 or 26. She had described feeling sick during the abuse and wanting to scream but believing it was her fault.
The same complainant had been subjected to other forms of sexual assault when she was as young as seven or eight.
Donaldson denied the offences but was convicted by a jury of one count of rape, 13 counts of indecent assault and four counts of gross indecency.
His barrister, Kieran Vaughan, told the earlier hearing that Donaldson had been a man of “previous good character” who “did achieve significant things”.
However, he added: “These convictions obliterate all those achievements he has made in his life.”
Following his conviction, Donaldson was stripped of his knighthood and removed from the Privy Council. His solicitor has previously confirmed that papers have been lodged for an appeal.
The DUP responded to Thursday's sentencing by saying Donaldson “deserves every day” of his prison term, while expressing support for the two victims.
The leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, Jon Burrows, also said the sentence reflected the gravity of the crimes and the lifelong harm inflicted on the victims.
“My thoughts remain with the two brave women whose courage brought him to justice, and with their families,” he said.
“No sentence can give back what was taken from them. But today's outcome is the clearest possible statement that no office, no status and no reputation places anyone above the law.”
Burrows added that the UUP's independent safeguarding review into Donaldson's years within the party was continuing, saying the party would act on its findings.
Donaldson's wife, Eleanor Donaldson, was found to have aided and abetted his crimes following a trial of the facts, which was granted on mental health grounds.
She cannot be sentenced to imprisonment but could receive a treatment order or an absolute discharge. The judge is due to make a decision at a later date.
Eleanor Donaldson has lodged an appeal against the outcome of her trial of the facts.
