Jeffrey Donaldson

[Princesspeaches99]

He's just been found guilty of historical child sexual offences. I'm so glad that justice has been served for the two victims. His vile wife has also been found guilty in her trial of the facts. So many thought they would both be cleared because of who they are.

He's in Magheraberry according to the BBC.

Absolutely delighted with the verdict, unbelievably brave of his victims to pursue this. My heart goes out to them, what strength, and I'm so happy it has been worth the trauma of reliving their abuse. I hope they are given the space and time to now heal

I'm pretty sure it was when he was initially arrested because I heard it from my mum and she's not on any social media so she must have got it from mainstream reporting

Again, it wasn’t. There was lots of speculation and rumour but jigsaw identifications are a real risk to trials. Anyone who did publish identities (and I know NONE of the established media did) would be subject to contempt of court.

Really glad the two women got some sort of justice. I read one woman confided in her husband what had happened. I also read about how ED allegedly ignored a situation where her saw her husband was fondling one of the girls in a room. She apparently just ignored it and walked away. I think she said she wasn’t actually in the room, she was outside the room and could see this through the doorway. You’d imagine most women would make sure they went into the room and stopped it in it’s tracks.

It reminded me of my mother's account of her early teenage experience while visiting relatives in the 1940s, when her aunt's husband put his hand down the front of her dress and fondled her breast.

Aunt: 'don't do that Joe, you'll make her drop the teapot'.

Still remembered with horror more than 70 years later, and yes, she did blame her as well as him.

It must have been reported early on bu mainstream media. I am also not on any social media and the only news I watch or read is mainstream, and I remember them being referred to (I’m in England).

Whatever the case, they do have a right to anonymity and I am so glad this horrific man has been jailed - and in awe of the courage of these women,

You’re on mumsnet tho? Mainstream media would absolutely not have reported who these women were. I am a journalist for a national media organisation and we have had a tonne of meetings with lawyers about this. It was too important to risk collapsing the trial

It was never on mainstream media. It was gossiped about. You could have overheard it on a bus or in a supermarket queue. None of us know whether any tales we heard were true, and it is not incumbent on the victims to satisfy our curiosity.

Possible I heard it somewhere else, I suppose.

I wasn’t trying to ‘satisfy my curiosity’, just responding to another poster. No need to be so sanctimonious.

Anyway, no wish to derail a thread in support of these courageous women, so I’ll leave it there.

I too would hope that someone somewhere would do the right thing and open up the Kincora files.

Yip. His first job in politics was with Enoch Powell and he was big mates with Jim Molyneaux.

I was aware that Molyneaux was a closeted gay man but wasn't aware that he was accused of any offending?

From the wiki page on James Molyneaux:

"According to the book Angels with Blue Faces, by the journalist Lyra McKee, Molyneaux was interviewed by a senior RUC detective in relation to the Kincora Boys' Home abuse scandal but not arrested or charged, although McKee alleged that he and others were involved in a conspiracy relating to the case"

I’m sure it was reported in the media initially too because I haven’t read anything else about the case since or spoken to anyone about it.

Hopefully there will be a civil case too and his pension can be awarded to his victims.

https://www.facebook.com/belfasttelegraph/photos/a-brother-in-law-of-jeffrey-donaldson-was-convicted-of-a-child-sex-offence-two-y/1454434930063527/?set=a.614966707343691
I don’t know if this has already been mentioned.

Do we know anything about his wife beyond the details in the trial? All I can find is an article saying she was quiet and rarely seen.

Sadly a familiar tale to me from my experience in evangelical church circles - charismatic male leader with a mouse-like wife he treats badly, he has lots of affairs and she is pushed to accept that her Christian duty is to put up with all his shit, forgive him and led to believe it's all her fault as if she was a better wife he wouldn't be an abusive shit.

It's years since I've been evangelical and I can think of three wives like this immediately.

@AnnaMagnani she has been found guilty of five offences at a ‘trial of the facts’ but will not serve a prison sentence , if necessary she could be committed to MH treatment unit or placed under supervision of SE or MH services

That bit I know - I was initially cynical about her being that mentally unwell but can that if it's finally dawned on her that her whole life is a lie that could be mentally disastrous.

Sam McBride on Nolan this morning alluded to more victims although he was not able to divulge further. It sounded like they were working on a new story - there could be more.

He's exactly the type. He's typical DUP. A party for woman oppressors, fanatical zealots and self righteous preachers. They all have deviance written all over them.

I saw it on Tattle at the time. The whole story about how it all came out too. At least one of the victim's was left with internal issues.

I think in this day and age the sexist meek wife in the shadows is quite over done.
Based on what was shown to be true at her trial and elements that came out of Jefferey’s it’s clear she was absolutely aware of many elements for decades. She had many opportunities to stop her husband’s abuse, she was complicit in rail roading one of the accusers with the help of the church years later and she has continued the abuse towards the victims by perpetuating the lie that it was all made up. Her behaviour has been a slap in the face to the defendants and we should not allow her to get off so lightly with the poor woman in the shadows trope.

Side note, will the name Jeffery fall out of existence now?
Donaldson, Epstein, Dahmer…