Police Ombudsman requested to probe what police knew about Jeffrey Donaldson

By Rebecca Black, Press Association

The Police Ombudsman has been requested to probe what police 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.

The DUP on Friday announced it is commissioning a 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.

Independent MLA Doug Beattie has called for the Police Ombudsman to investigate what the Police Service of Northern Ireland (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.

“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.”