Jeffrey Donaldson has spent his first night behind bars in Maghaberry Prison — a place he knew well from decades of visiting as the local MP, but never imagined would hold him as an inmate. The cell door has closed on the former Democratic Unionist Party leader, who has been told to expect a “lengthy sentence” after being found guilty of 18 child sex abuse charges including rape.
His first hours in custody were spent under tight observation, according to prison sources. On Tuesday, he ate breakfast on the landing with other prisoners — a sobering moment for a man who will now face up to 12 hours a day in a cell he may have to share. His mobile phone has been confiscated, and his contact with the outside world reduced to phones on the landings and one visit every four weeks.
“Former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson found guilty of 18 child sex offences including rape, faces lengthy sentence.”
The dramatic downfall of a figure known affectionately within unionist circles as just “Jeffrey” has shaken Northern Ireland’s battle-hardened political landscape to its core. It has also triggered an earthquake at the heart of the DUP, from which the party has still not fully recovered. Donaldson was suspended after his arrest and automatically expelled in March after two years passed, in line with party rules. Publicly, the party stayed silent to allow “justice to take its course,” but privately there is a deep sense of betrayal. Some within the DUP blame him for electoral losses, and the man who once led the largest unionist party now faces the humiliation of a lengthy prison sentence and the stripping of his honours.
His guilt was laid bare over four weeks of harrowing testimony. Throughout the trial, Donaldson sat defiant with his arms folded — classic behaviour, according to those who know him best, giving nothing away under pressure. As a skilled politician experienced in handling difficult questions, he backed himself to convince the jury of his innocence, taking the stand in his own defence. But the jury found him guilty on all counts.
Now, Donaldson is also expected to give up his knighthood, adding to the ruin of his reputation. The man who once walked the corridors of power is learning the grim reality of prison life, his political legacy in tatters.