Northern Irish politician and DUP leader, 2021–2024
Jeffrey Donaldson has been sentenced to 15 years for 18 counts of child sexual abuse, including one rape, spanning 1985-2008. The verdict concludes a high-profile case that damaged trust in Northern Ireland politics; his wife Eleanor is found to have aided and abetted. He will appeal; knighthood renounced.
Conservative MP Patrick Spencer has been found not guilty of two counts of sexual assault after a trial at Southwark Crown Court concerning incidents at the Groucho Club in August 2023. The jury has cleared him; he has maintained innocence and described the proceedings as a test of character.
A Stockport man in his 60s has admitted 60 offences against his wife at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court, including rape and administering a substance to stun her. The victim cannot be named. Sentencing will follow the conclusion of the trial, with other defendants denying the charges.