Northern Ireland Assembly review finds no reports regarding Jeffrey Donaldson's conduct
The internal review into the former DUP leader's time at Stormont concludes with no new information identified.
Quick Look
A Northern Ireland Assembly review into Jeffrey Donaldson's conduct during his tenure at Stormont has concluded without identifying any relevant information or receiving reports of abuse, though officials noted the findings do not rule out past incidents.
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Why It Matters
Jeffrey Donaldson was convicted in June of 18 counts of sex abuse, including rape, committed against two women when they were children. He served as an MLA from 2003 to 2010.
A review by the Northern Ireland Assembly into Jeffrey Donaldson's conduct during his time at Stormont has found "no relevant information" requiring further investigation.
No reports were received as part of the exercise, which was commissioned in July following the former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader's conviction for child sex offences.
Donaldson was convicted in June of 18 counts of sex abuse including one count of rape, which he committed against two women when they were children. Donaldson is to appeal.
The Northern Ireland Assembly said the review was "necessarily limited" and "does not determine that no incidents occurred", but added the process had "now concluded".
Donaldson was a member of the legislative assembly (MLA) from 2003 until 2010 and at one point a junior minister in Northern Ireland's power-sharing government.
In subsequent years he was often a visitor at Stormont in his role as an MP and DUP leader.
The assembly's speaker Edwin Poots asked its chief executive to conduct the review.
It aimed to enable any current or former MLAs or staff, or other users of Parliament Buildings, to report "any incidents of abuse or inappropriate behaviour they directly experienced".
In a statement an assembly spokesperson said the review "has now concluded".
"No reports were received through the dedicated review contact route and no relevant information was identified through the internal information search," they said.
"The report therefore concludes that no matter has arisen within the scope of the review requiring further investigation, referral to the PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland), or referral to another statutory agency."
The assembly spokesperson said the report, which has been published online, external, was "clear that this conclusion is necessarily limited".
"The absence of reports or relevant records does not determine that no incidents occurred," they added.
"It means that, within the scope and methodology of the review, none were reported to the review and no relevant information was identified."
The assembly said any subsequent approach received would be handled under Assembly Commission policies and procedures "with urgent referral to the PSNI or another statutory agency where appropriate".
The review was one of several launched in the wake of Donaldson's conviction.
The DUP commissioned Jim Gamble, a child safety expert and former senior police officer, to lead an independent review into Donaldson's behaviour while he was in the party.
Staff in the Northern Ireland Civil Service have been asked to come forward with any experiences of abuse or inappropriate behaviour during Donaldson's time as a junior minister.
Open Questions
- Will the separate DUP-commissioned review by Jim Gamble yield different results?
