Donaldson has been sacked from DUP leadership, suspended from the party and Orange Order and is awaiting a first appearance in court.
The impact of ex-DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson’s arrest and charges over alleged historic sexual offences is reverberating.
A 57-year-old woman had also been arrested as part of the investigation. By 7am Mr Donaldson was on the road in a police vehicle heading to Antrim PSNI custody suite where he and the female suspect were then questioned at intervals across the next 14 hours. They confirmed Mr Donaldson had formally written to them stating he had been charged with “allegations of an historical nature” and that he was stepping down from his party post. The 61-year-old is understood to have flown to London on March 29 to stay at his city flat to wait out the 27 days until his court appearance in Newry Magistrates’ Court on April 24.
Senior government officers and Stormont’s senior legal team were summoned to an emergency meeting at Parliament Buildings early on March 29. They arrived not knowing what the furore was about and left, one said “shell shocked and stunned. Other politicians also reacted to the departure of Mr Donaldson, with a spokesman for the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs stating: “We note the appointment of an interim leader of the DUP. We will continue to work with all parties to ensure the full and effective functioning of the Good Friday Agreement institutions.”
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