THE POLICE OMBUDSMAN for Northern Ireland has been requested to investigate what the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) knew in terms of disgraced former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson.
Donaldson was convicted last week of 18 sexual offences, including one count of rape, against two women when they were children.
Over the last week, questions have been asked around how much was known within the DUP about Donaldson’s wider conduct in the period prior to his 2024 arrest over sex abuse allegations.
On Friday, the DUP announced it is commissioning an independent inquiry into revelations and who knew what.
BBC Spotlight reported that a police detective suspected that Donaldson could be a secret child abuser a year before he was named to police.
It reported that the detective and a child safeguarding expert suspected Donaldson following an exploratory meeting at the Presbyterian Church in Ireland’s headquarters with Complainant A and her partner before they made a formal complaint.
Complainant A did not name her abuser in that meeting, and did not name Donaldson to police until 2024, however the programme heard how both believed the woman was describing Donaldson.
The BBC Northern Ireland programme also reported that two senior police officers observed Donaldson entering a sauna in London that marketed itself as a meeting place for gay men in 2006 – despite the politician referring to homosexuality as “sinful” in the same year.
‘What did the PSNI know’
Independent MLA Doug Beattie has called for the Police Ombudsman to investigate what the PSNI knew regarding Donaldson’s child sexual abuse offences.
“The commentary in the days following Donaldson’s conviction has raised a number of serious concerns,” the former UUP leader said.
“Firstly, the reported scale of the abuse is shocking. Secondly, a number of individuals have since come forward indicating that concerns were raised about his behaviour, with some suggesting knowledge of victims or of predatory behaviour.
Of particular concern are suggestions that a senior safeguarding officer within the PSNI may have held intelligence relating to Donaldson’s behaviour up to a year before his arrest.
“While it is understood that intelligence does not in itself constitute evidence, this raises fundamental and legitimate questions,” Beattie said.
“What did the PSNI know, and when did they know it? Was any such information considered a matter of national security, given Donaldson’s prominent role at Westminster? And were these concerns communicated to the Northern Ireland Office?”
He added: “These are important and reasonable questions which require clear and transparent answers.
“For that reason, I have written to the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland requesting a full investigation into the intelligence held by the PSNI, whether that intelligence reached the threshold of evidence, and whether there was any failure to act on information indicating a potential risk to individuals or to national security.”
Donaldson ‘led a double life’
Speaking on RTÉ’s The Week in Politics this afternoon, Sinn Féin TD Claire Kerrane said it is clear there are questions to be answered, both about the action of the PSNI and also within political circles.
Kerrane said: “We need to know who knew what, when, and why they didn’t take action. These were child abuse allegations. What is more serious and sinister than that?
“It’s very clear he led very much a double life, and I think we’re only seeing the surface of it right now.”
Labour TD George Lawlor said an investigation “at a high level” is required into Donaldson, adding that his depravity “was matched only by his arrogance”.
“The Spotlight programme shows that the moves that he made and the actions that he was involved in really does point the finger at a number of people I believe within the DUP who knew a lot about this man and yet allowed him to become leader of the party.”
Fianna Fáil TD Thomas Byrne said there will “undoubtedly” be political ramifications as a result of Donaldson’s conviction.
“Clearly there has to be deep dissatisfaction with the way things panned out in the DUP,” he said.
DUP ‘damaged potentially beyond repair’
A former DUP adviser has said the party may be damaged beyond repair by continuing revelations concerning Donaldson.
Speaking on BBC Northern Ireland’s Sunday Politics programme, David Graham indicated it will be hard to rebuild trust amid a “drip feed of negativity”.
“The DUP have had some significant political crises in the last 20 year, this blows them all out of the water, and by some distance,” he said.
“I think that this is damaging to the point of potentially beyond repair.”
He went on: “I genuinely don’t think anyone within the party was aware of the reasons for Jeffrey Donaldson’s conviction but I also think that the challenge for the DUP moving forward is the drip feed of negativity”, referring to former senior party members indicating they knew about Donaldson’s lifestyle.
Graham said he has a “degree of sympathy” for party leader Gavin Robinson who he feels has “played this with a straight bat”, but questioned “deafening silence” from others.
“The issue is that the more questions you ask, you’re not getting answers, you’re getting more questions,” he added.
He also cautioned that public trust in the DUP has “deteriorated so much” that it may be “very difficult” for the review to land amid “questions of how independent it is, how trustworthy it is, and actually has it got to the bottom of any issues if there are any issues”.
Speaking on the same programme, Stormont Opposition leader Matthew O’Toole described a “very significant moment”.
“The first thing to say is that our thoughts are with the victims of Jeffrey Donaldson who have been so brave and courageous,” the SDLP leader said.
In terms of the review, O’Toole said it needs to be made clear exactly what action was taken in terms of complaints or allegations made, and what steps were followed.
He also called for a review of Northern Ireland’s defamation laws, and urged the DUP to be “humble and honest” about some of the revelations.
With reporting from Press Association