Jeffrey Donaldson named on court list a day ahead of appearance over non-recent sexual offence charges

Former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson is listed to appear at Newry Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday where he is facing charges of non-recent sexual offences.

A series of special measures have been put in place by the Department of Justice for his first court appearance on April 24 to accommodate news media in light of anticipated attendance for the proceedings.

The 61-year-old was charged by police on March 28, 2024 with a series of non-recent sexual offences including rape, gross indecency and indecent assault and will be one of dozens of cases to be processed on the day.

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A technical glitch overnight is being worked on by Courts NI to allow the updated courts list to be available to the public. His name and that of a co-accused listed are amongst 89 other cases to be processed from 10.30am.

With media interest intense and the anonymity of the alleged victims assured, the DoJ has made arrangements to reserve 30% of the court seating to members of the press. This includes 13 seats in Court Room 3 and a further 25 seats in an adjourning courtroom where the proceedings will be screened live.

Photography inside the courts is prohibited and it is anticipated an application for reporting restrictions may be made to the magistrate, including a direction on Tweeting from court.

Outside Newry Courthouse on New St in the city, security will be tight with media, police, supporters of those heading into court and members of the public expected to be in close proximity.

It is clear that Donaldson will be treated like any other defendant and sources close to the case say his representatives have made no requests for any other measures. It is expected that he will walk into court with his solicitor, John McBurney, shortly after 10am.

Jeffrey Donaldson is facing one charge of rape and nine other sexual offences claims and is due to return to Northern Ireland on Wednesday morning from his bail address in London, accompanied by a family member who has travelled from the US to support him.

He is expected to appear in court alongside his co-accused, a woman aged 57 who was charged by police with aiding and abetting other charges.

It is unlikely that either Donaldson or the woman will be asked to enter a plea tomorrow because of the nature of the 28-day charge and the ongoing investigation. They will though be asked to recognise the court by confirming their names.

The Public Prosecution Service is expected to brief the court on the progress of the cases and request a new date for review, with a decision taken on whether the cases will remain in Magistrates’ Court or be sent to the Crown Court.

A further decision is expected to be made at the hearing concerning bail conditions on whether the defendants will remain on bail, and it is expected their solicitors will ask for bail variations to allow them to remain in contact with each other and for each to reside in London.

A PSNI spokesman said: “Detectives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland arrested and charged a 61-year-old man for non-recent sexual offences. A 57-year-old woman was also arrested and charged at the time for aiding and abetting additional offences. Both are due to appear before Newry Magistrates’ Court on April 24.”

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