Politicians in the Northern Assembly have expressed their support for the victims of sexual abuse following the conviction of Jeffrey Donaldson for child sex offences.
Representatives from both sides of the North’s political divide united in their condemnation of the former DUP leader at the start of Assembly business on Tuesday.
There have been multiple calls for him to be stripped of his knighthood, and the DUP and other parties have written to the UK cabinet office asking that the honour be removed.
It is understood all cases are considered following the conclusion of all legal proceedings, and any recipient of a knighthood who is convicted of a sexual offence is automatically considered for forfeiture of their honour.
The Orange Order, of which Donaldson was a long-standing member, said the membership of anyone found guilty of a serious sexual offence “is terminated with immediate effect”.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin also sent his thoughts to Donaldson’s victims, saying “our hearts go out” to them and what they had gone through was “absolutely abhorrent, very difficult to comprehend”.
Describing Donaldson’s crimes as “evil”, he said “that man lived a lie all his life and he did great evil and great damage and it is horrific and shocking”.
The UK government also praised the victims, saying in a statement “our thoughts are first and foremost with the victims of Jeffrey Donaldson who have shown immense courage in coming forward and giving evidence”.
It said claims by the Traditional Unionist Voice leader Jim Allister that it may have used knowledge of Donaldson’s sex offending as “leverage” in a deal to restore the North’s powersharing institutions in 2024 were “deeply distasteful and absolute nonsense”.
On Monday Donaldson (63) was convicted of 18 child sex offences, including one count of rape, against two women when they were children.
The former MP was remanded in custody and was warned he faces a “lengthy” prison sentence when he is sentenced in September.
He was also placed on the sex offenders register.
Donaldson’s conviction was raised by Sinn Féin Assembly member Emma Sheerin at the start of business at Stormont on Tuesday morning, with contributions permitted by the Speaker, Edwin Poots, as “a matter of public importance”.
Sheerin praised the strength and dignity of Donaldson’s victims and described their “resilience” throughout the trial as “nothing short of admirable”.
“No one is above the law, and I hope all victims watching this unfold will take strength from that,” she said. “Justice in this case was hard fought for and so deserved.”
The DUP deputy leader Michelle McIlveen said it was “now clear beyond doubt that Jeffrey Donaldson led a double and duplicitous life”, adding that his “lies and cover-ups have now been exposed”.
She said her party’s thoughts were with the victims and “we pray this verdict brings comfort as they move forward with their lives.”
Alliance Party MLA Kate Nicholl praised the “extraordinary, remarkable bravery and courage” of Donaldson’s victims and said she hoped the verdict “sends a clear recognition that what happened was wrong, and that Jeffrey Donaldson will feel the full weight of the law”.
Jon Burrows, the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, said the victims “got justice and there is a powerful lesson in that for everyone in our country, right across these islands”.
The SDLP MLA Matthew O’Toole said Donaldson “stands not just shamed but convicted in the eyes of the law by a jury of his peers” and said he stood with and acknowledged “the extraordinary courage and resilience of his victims”. Additional reporting: PA