Met investigates 2016 rape allegation involving former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson
Police say they received a referral from Northern Ireland officers about an alleged rape in Parliament. The investigation is in its early stages and no arrests have been made.
The Metropolitan Police are investigating an allegation that former Democratic Unionist Party leader Jeffrey Donaldson raped a woman in the UK Parliament in 2016. The force said on Wednesday that it had received a referral from the Police Service of Northern Ireland on 13 October. It described the investigation as being in its early stages and said no arrests had been made.
The Met did not name the man in its statement, identifying him as 63 years old. The Standard and the Guardian identified Donaldson as the subject of the allegation. Police said specialist officers were supporting the woman and that inquiries were continuing. The allegation has not resulted in a charge.
How the Westminster allegation reached the Met
The allegation concerns an incident said to have taken place in London in 2016. The Standard reported that officers in Northern Ireland interviewed the woman before passing the report to the Met, which is investigating because the alleged offence took place in its area. The Belfast Telegraph first reported the woman's allegation, according to POLITICO and the Guardian.
POLITICO reported that the woman had described a visit to the DUP's parliamentary offices. Its account of her earlier interview with the Belfast Telegraph said Donaldson had given her a tour of Parliament and taken her to dinner in the MPs' dining room before the alleged assault. Those details are allegations attributed to her account; the police statement establishes that an investigation is under way, not what happened during the visit.
Donaldson's earlier conviction and the Commons response
Earlier in October, Donaldson received a 15-year sentence for historical sexual offences against two women who were children when the offences occurred, the Standard reported. It said he was convicted of 18 offences, including one count of rape, 13 counts of indecent assault and four counts of gross indecency, covering conduct between 1985 and 2008. His solicitor has confirmed that appeal papers were lodged over that conviction, according to the Standard. The new Westminster allegation is a separate police investigation.
Deputy Speaker Nusrat Ghani told the Commons on Wednesday that the allegations were ‘highly concerning’ for the parliamentary community. She said the Parliamentary Health and Wellbeing Service could advise anyone affected about support, and that people with concerns could use established reporting mechanisms. Criminal allegations, she said, should be reported to the appropriate authorities.
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Sources and context
- Ex-DUP chief faces new allegation of raping woman inside WestminsterPOLITICO Europe; credits the Belfast Telegraph for earlier reporting on the allegation
- Ex-DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson accused of 2016 rape inside WestminsterThe Standard; Margaret Davis; PA Wire credit appears in the article
- Jeffrey Donaldson investigated over alleged rape in UK parliamentThe Guardian; Aletha Adu; credits the Belfast Telegraph as first to report the allegation
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.