Why will convicted paedophile Jeffrey Donaldson only serve seven years in prison?

The former DUP leader, Stormont Minister and MP for Lagan Valley was sentenced yesterday to 15 years, following his conviction for 18 historic sexual offences against two women when they were children. 

Yesterday, Judge Paul Ramsey sentenced Donaldson to 15 years, of which half will be spent in prison and the remainder under supervision in the community on licence.

On Newstalk Breakfast, Allison Morris of the Belfast Telegraph said if Donaldson had committed his crimes in the more recent past, he would likely have faced a longer sentence. 

“Because those offenses were committed before 2008 and the change to the law, Jeffrey Donaldson is entitled to the sentence he would have received had he been convicted when the offenses were committed,” she explained. 

“Back then all defendants were entitled to 50% remission; so, he will serve half of that sentence in prison. 

“He has been in prison since June when he was convicted by that jury after a four week trial. 

“So, minus whatever time he served in prison, it comes off that seven and a half year sentence.” 

Jeffrey Donaldson with his wife Eleanor. Picture by: Alamy.com. 

Donaldson was remanded in custody following his conviction in June and if he serves seven and a half years behind bars, he will be released around the time of his 71st birthday. 

Ms Morris added that while the Judge handed Donaldson a “very hefty sentence”, many in Northern Ireland would prefer to see him locked away for longer. 

In a pre-sentencing report, the court heard there was a “medium risk” that Donaldson would re-offend. 

“There's very little else the judge could have done,” she said. 

“He gave him probably one of the heaviest sentences he could have in the circumstances. 

“We heard that the starting point for some of these offences was 10 years. 

“And what he also did was he said that those prison terms had to run consecutively rather than concurrently, so that meant it took up to 15.”

 Jeffrey Donaldson celebrates following an election win in Lagan Valley. Picture by: Alamy.com. 

One of the aggravating factors is that Donaldson has never expressed any remorse for his crimes and intends to appeal his convictions. 

“It won't be like a retrial,” Ms Morris explained. 

“As such, the three appeal court judges will be asked to consider quite narrow points of law. 

“One was the directions that the judge give the jury and the other is the fact that himself and his wife, Eleanor Donaldson, she had what was known as a trial of the facts because she was deemed mentally unfit to stand trial. 

“That both of those ran alongside each other with the same jury, the defence were arguing that they should have been run separately because “Eleanor Donaldson's police interviews were played to the jury, but she wasn't there.

“So she couldn't be cross examined and they're saying that that was prejudicial to Jeffrey Donaldson.” 

Eleanor Donaldson will be sentenced at a later date. However, because she was convicted in a trial of facts, she will not serve a custodial sentence. 

Instead, the Judge might order hospital stay.

Main image: Jeffrey Donaldson. Picture by: Alamy.com.