Key facts
- Former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson has lodged an appeal against his convictions for 18 sex offences, including rape.
- The convictions relate to the abuse of two women when they were children.
- Appeal papers were filed at the Court of Appeal in Belfast.
- The Northern Ireland Assembly has initiated a review into alleged abuse or inappropriate behaviour by Donaldson.
- Donaldson is awaiting sentencing in September.
Former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Jeffrey Donaldson is appealing his conviction on 18 sex offences, including rape, against two women when they were children. His solicitor, John McBurney, confirmed that appeal documents were lodged with the Court of Appeal in Belfast on Friday.
Donaldson, 63, was found guilty by a jury last month at Newry Crown Court and is currently on remand at Maghaberry Prison. The grounds for appeal may include an unsuccessful attempt by his lawyers to separate his criminal trial from the trial of the facts concerning his wife, Eleanor Donaldson. She was found to have aided and abetted his offending but was deemed unfit to stand trial on mental health grounds.
Separately, the Northern Ireland Assembly has initiated a review into alleged abuse or inappropriate behaviour by Donaldson during his tenure as a member of the Assembly between 2003 and 2010. Assembly Speaker Edwin Poots requested the review, which is scheduled to run from July 10 to August 21, with a report due by August 28. The DUP has also commissioned a review, led by former senior police officer Jim Gamble, to investigate what was known about Donaldson's behaviour during his political career.
Donaldson has renounced his knighthood and was removed from the Privy Council following his conviction. Sentencing is scheduled for September, with the trial judge having indicated that a lengthy custodial sentence is inevitable.