The Met received a referral from PSNI on Tuesday 13 October 2026 about an alleged 2016 rape by a 63-year-old man. No arrests have been made.
He received 11 years for rape against Victim A and four years for all sentences on Victim B, served consecutively. He is seeking to appeal.
A jury found him guilty in June of decades of abuse, including one rape, 13 indecent assaults and four counts of gross indecency.
The Met has not named the man, but the BBC reports he is Jeffrey Donaldson, who led the DUP from 2021 to 2024.
The Metropolitan Police received a referral on Tuesday 13 October 2026 from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) about an alleged rape in 2016 by a man now aged 63. The alleged offence took place in Westminster, inside the Houses of Parliament, which is why the case moved from PSNI officers to the Met. PSNI officers had already interviewed the woman who made the allegation. The Met says the allegation concerns one victim, who is receiving support from specialist officers. The BBC has reported that the man is former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson, although the Met has not named him.
Reports say Donaldson is set to be interviewed by the Met. The force's written statement describes the case as follows:
“The investigation is in its early stages. No arrests have been made and enquiries are ongoing.”
The statement confirms that the investigation is still at an early point and that no one has been arrested over the 2016 allegation. The Met's report is the second legal matter involving Donaldson in 2026, following the trial and sentencing described below.
In June a jury returned guilty verdicts on a run of abuse spanning decades, including the rape of one victim when she was seven or eight, 13 indecent assaults and four counts of gross indecency. The sentence came in October 2026: 11 years for the rape of Victim A, plus four years for the sentences on Victim B, with the terms running consecutively for a total of 15 years. Donaldson is seeking to appeal his convictions.
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Judge Paul Ramsey described a "catastrophic descent into disgrace" when passing sentence. He told the court:
“There has not been, and doubtless will not be, one word of regret, apology or shame from this man to at least provide his victims with some crumb of comfort.”
Donaldson led the DUP from 2021 to 2024 and was first elected to Parliament in 1997 for the UUP. The party responded to the sentence in a statement:
“Today justice has been done with the sentencing of Jeffrey Donaldson for his vile and disgusting crimes against his victims.”
The DUP added that the victims had been re-traumatised by giving evidence at the trial and that its first thoughts remained with them.
The Met investigation is at an early stage and no arrests have been made. Reports say Donaldson is set to be interviewed in connection with the 2016 allegation, and the Met has not indicated when that will happen. Donaldson's appeal against the June convictions has not yet been decided.
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The Met Police is investigating a report of rape inside the Houses of Parliament in 2016, passed on from Northern Ireland. The Met has not named the 63-year-old man, but the BBC reports he is former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson.
AI text based on reports by LBC, Irish Examiner, The Telegraph and other publishers. Published .