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Trial of Northern Ireland's Donaldson set to start in November
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on May 16, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
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Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on May 16, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Jeffrey Donaldson's trial for historical sex offences is set for November 3. The trial, involving multiple charges, is expected to last three weeks.
BELFAST (Reuters) - The trial of former Northern Ireland politician Jeffrey Donaldson for historical sex offences has been provisionally scheduled to start on November 3, a court heard on Friday.
The trial of the former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader and his wife Eleanor was delayed in March after the court heard that Eleanor was unwell.
A review hearing on June 5 will assess whether Eleanor can participate in the trial, Newry Crown Court heard.
Donaldson, once one of Northern Ireland's best-known politicians, stepped down suddenly as head of the British region's largest unionist party in March last year after the DUP said he had been charged with allegations of an historical nature.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include 13 counts of indecent assault on a female child and four counts of gross indecency towards a child. The charges relate to two complainants and the events allegedly took place between 1985 and 2008.
Eleanor Donaldson has pleaded not guilty to three charges, including aiding and abetting rape.
The trial is expected to last three weeks.
(Reporting by Amanda Ferguson; Writing by Conor Humphries; Editing by Sachin Ravikumar)
The main topic is the upcoming trial of Jeffrey Donaldson for historical sex offences in Northern Ireland.
Jeffrey Donaldson is a former Northern Ireland politician and leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).
He faces 13 counts of indecent assault on a female child and four counts of gross indecency towards a child.
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