Jailed former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson investigated over alleged rape
London police are investigating jailed former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson, 63, over an alleged rape inside Parliament in 2016.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Jailed former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson faces a police probe over an alleged rape inside Parliament.
- The incident allegedly occurred within his party office at the Houses of Parliament in 2016.
- The Metropolitan Police confirmed they are investigating a 63-year-old man following a referral from Northern Ireland police.
- Donaldson is currently serving a 15-year prison sentence for separate child sex offences and plans to appeal.
Disgraced former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Jeffrey Donaldson, currently imprisoned, is being investigated by London police over allegations that he raped a woman inside the Houses of Parliament, BBC News reveals.
The former MP is accused of carrying out the rape in 2016 at the very heart of the British political establishment. Last week, Donaldson was handed a 15-year prison term for a series of historical child sex offences against two victims, including one count of rape spanning from 1985 to 2008, and he is currently seeking to appeal those convictions.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Reports indicate that the female complainant has already been interviewed by officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). Because the alleged offence took place in the capital, the PSNI subsequently shared the details with the Metropolitan Police.
The Metropolitan Police issued a statement confirming that on Tuesday, 13 October, they received a referral from Northern Ireland regarding an alleged rape in 2016 involving a man now aged 63. Authorities noted that the victim is receiving support from specialist officers and that the inquiry remains in its early stages with no arrests made yet.
In July, the Belfast Telegraph first reported that a woman from Northern Ireland claimed she was sexually assaulted by Donaldson inside the DUP parliamentary offices in 2016, alleging he tried to make her drink vodka before attempting to kiss and grope her.
This new criminal investigation deals a severe blow to public trust in political institutions, highlighting how individuals in positions of power managed to evade scrutiny within high-security state buildings during their tenure. The unfolding legal battles further compound the disgrace surrounding Donaldson's political legacy.
While questions regarding the former MP's conduct in London were previously highlighted in a BBC NI Spotlight documentary earlier this year, this active police investigation into rape inside Parliament marks a drastic escalation in his legal troubles.
Source: BBC Politics
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