Jeffrey Donaldson has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for a series of child sex offences, including one count of rape.
The former DUP leader stood with his hands clasped in front of him in the dock of Newry Crown Court as his sentence was handed down.
Judge Paul Ramsey said Donaldson’s crimes, which took place between 1985 and 2008, had led to a “catastrophic descent into disgrace”.
He was sentenced to 11 years for his crimes against Victim B and four years for offences against Victim A.
The 63-year-old, who was convicted in June, is seeking to appeal his convictions.
Both sentences will run consecutively.
But Donaldson will spend only half his 15-year sentence behind bars.
Because the offences were committed before the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 2008 came into effect, he qualifies for 50% remission.
Should his attempt to appeal his convictions fail, it means he will be released from prison at the end of 2033.
The remainder of his sentence will be under supervision in the community on licence.
The part that stood out for me was the judge’s words:
“It is highly significant that the defendant denied the offences to the police, he denied them in evidence and to the probation officer he continues to maintain his denials. He has doubled-down in his denials. There has not been, and doubtless will not be, one word of regret, apology or shame from this man to at least provide his victims with some crumb of comfort.”
So the main question is me is why did he go through with the whole trial? Why not just admit his guilt at the start to save everyone, including his victims, the stress of a trial? Does he really think that he’s innocent? What kind of cognitive gymnastics, is he doing?
If he was the Christian he portrayed himself to be, would he not have just admitted his guilt, accepted his sentence, and asked for forgiveness? Or is he just another in the long line of religious hypocrites who say one thing in public and act completely differently in private?
They say Jeffrey spends his time reading from the prison library and reading the Bible. Maybe he can spend some time contemplating John 8:32, the words of Jesus in the Gospel of John: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Again I would remind you all not to discuss the identity of his victims. There is a anonymity order, which is being rigorously enforced. Only this week a local woman was sentenced to three months in jail for breaching the anonymity of the victims.
Managing Editor of Slugger O’Toole. I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism; I am not a member of any political party. When not stuck in front of a screen, I am a parkrun Run Director.
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