Doug Beattie writes to Police Ombudsman over Spotlight Donaldson broadcast
The police ombudsman has been requested to probe what police knew in terms of the disgraced ex-DUP boss.
Jeffrey Donaldson was convicted last week of 18 sexual offences, including one count of rape, against two women when they were children.
Over the last week questions have been asked around how much was known within the DUP about Donaldson’s wider conduct in the period prior to his 2024 arrest over sex abuse allegations.
The DUP has announced it is commissioning an independent inquiry into revelations and who knew what.
BBC ‘Spotlight’ reported that a detective suspected that Donaldson could be a secret child abuser a year before he was named to police.
The BBC Northern Ireland programme also reported that two senior police officers observed Donaldson entering a sauna in London that marketed itself as a meeting place for gay men in 2006, despite dubbing homosexuality “sinful” in the same year.
Independent MLA Doug Beattie has called for the police ombudsman to investigate what the PSNI knew regarding Donaldson’s child sexual abuse offences.
“Commentary in the days following Donaldson’s conviction has raised a number of serious concerns,” he said.
“Firstly, the reported scale of the abuse is shocking. Secondly, a number of individuals have since come forward indicating that concerns were raised about his behaviour, with some suggesting knowledge of victims or of predatory behaviour.
“Of particular concern are suggestions that a senior safeguarding officer within the PSNI may have held intelligence relating to Donaldson’s behaviour up to a year before his arrest. While it’s understood intelligence doesn’t in itself constitute evidence, this raises fundamental, legitimate questions.
“What did the PSNI know, and when did they know it? Was any such information considered a matter of national security, given Donaldson’s prominent role at Westminster? And were these concerns communicated to the Northern Ireland Office?”
Police said: “The PSNI have conducted a thorough investigation into non-recent sexual abuse allegations. As legal proceedings are ongoing, we will not be making any comment.”