Jailed former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson facing new allegations of rape
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By Mandy McAuley and Stephen Dempster, BBC Spotlight
Published 21 October 2026, 15:11 BST
Updated 39 minutes ago
The disgraced former MP Jeffrey Donaldson, currently serving a 15-year sentence for child sex offences, is now facing a new investigation over an alleged rape in 2016 inside the Houses of Parliament, the BBC can reveal.
The woman, who has been interviewed by Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers, has also accused Donaldson of raping her. The PSNI has passed on her claims to the Metropolitan Police, as the incident is believed to have taken place in London.
The Met has confirmed a 63-year-old man is being investigated, stating:
"On Tuesday 13 October, the Met received a report referred to us by the Police Service of Northern Ireland relating to an allegation of rape in 2016, by a man now aged 63. The allegation relates to one victim who is being supported by specialist officers. The investigation is in its early stages. No arrests have been made and enquiries are ongoing."
In July, the Belfast Telegraph reported the initial allegations made by a Northern Ireland woman who claimed Donaldson tried to kiss her and put his hand up her skirt in his office at Parliament in 2016.
The newspaper further reported that the Met was preparing to investigate and interview Donaldson regarding these accusations. However, it has now emerged that the same woman also alleges Donaldson raped her.
Concerns about Donaldson's behaviour in London were raised earlier this year in a BBC NI Spotlight film, where a former senior PSNI detective described seeing him drunk in the Houses of Parliament. Two other former senior PSNI detectives also reported seeing him entering a gay sauna near Parliament in 2006, the same year he described homosexuality as "sinful".