Met Police investigate rape allegation against Jeffrey Donaldson in Parliament
Met Police are investigating an allegation that former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson raped a woman in the Palace of Westminster in 2016; no arrest has been made and he is appealing his sentence.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The Metropolitan Police are investigating an allegation that former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson raped a woman in the Palace of Westminster in 2016, according to reports. The force has not named Donaldson, but its statement matches reporting that identifies him. It said it received a report on Tuesday 13 October, referred by the Police Service of Northern Ireland, about 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 inquiries are ongoing.
Reports say the alleged victim first spoke to the PSNI. Her claims were then shared with the Met because the alleged crime was said to have happened in London. One report said the woman had been interviewed by PSNI officers.
The allegation concerns an alleged rape inside the Houses of Parliament. The Belfast Telegraph first reported a few months ago that a woman alleged Donaldson had plied her with alcohol in his offices before sexually assaulting her. The same woman is now said to have made an allegation of rape. Donaldson has not commented in the coverage.
The investigation comes as Donaldson is serving a 15-year prison sentence in Northern Ireland's Maghaberry prison. Last week he was sentenced for historical child sex offences against two victims when they were children. He was convicted in June of 18 offences, including one count of rape, 13 indecent assaults and four counts of gross indecency. The abuse took place between 1985 and 2008. He denied the charges. The judge described his fall as a catastrophic descent into disgrace.
Donaldson was DUP leader from 2021 to 2024. He resigned when he was charged with the child sex offences. He had been an MP for 27 years and was instrumental in restoring power sharing at Stormont in 2024. He was stripped of his knighthood. He is applying to appeal against his convictions.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reported by all 3 channels | |||
| The Met received a PSNI report on 13 October about an alleged 2016 rape by a man now aged 63. | |||
| Reported by a few · 2 channels | |||
| Jeffrey Donaldson was sentenced to 15 years for historical sex offences against two women. | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | |
| Only on one channel | |||
| A newspaper previously reported a woman's allegation of a sexual assault by Donaldson in his offices after he supplied her with alcohol. | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Donaldson is applying to appeal against his convictions. | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Donaldson is serving his sentence at Maghaberry prison. | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Sky News | |
| No arrests have been made in the investigation, which remains ongoing. | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Sky News broke into its bulletin with the Met statement and made the story its lead item. Its correspondent focused on the mechanics of the PSNI referral, the location in the House of Commons and Donaldson's recent 15-year sentence for child sex offences. It reported that he was being questioned on suspicion of rape, while noting the Met statement did not name him.
- “We understand that they are investigating an allegation that the former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson raped a woman in the houses of Parliament”
- “The allegation relates to one victim is being supported by specialist officers.”
- “No arrests have been made and inquiries remain ongoing”
BBC ONE West reported that it had learned Donaldson was under investigation over an alleged rape in Westminster. It focused on how the woman had been interviewed by the PSNI and how her claims were passed to the Met because the alleged incidents happened in London. It also noted his resignation as DUP leader and his application to appeal his convictions, without the prior Belfast Telegraph allegation detail.
- “The former Democratic Unionist Party leader Jeffrey Donaldson is being investigated by police About an alleged rape in the House of Commons in the House of Parliament ten years ago”
- “the BBC's learned he's being Investigated by police over an allegation that he raped a woman in Westminster”
- “It's understood the woman has been interviewed by officers from the police service of Northern Ireland”
ITV1 led on the allegation being made inside the Palace of Westminster and added detail from the Belfast Telegraph's earlier reporting about Donaldson's offices. It placed the investigation against his 15-year sentence in Maghaberry prison, his lost knighthood, his 27 years as an MP and his role in restoring power sharing. The tone was explanatory and focused on the political and personal context.
- “police are investigating an allegation that Northern Ireland's former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson raped a woman in the Houses of Parliament”
- “A few months ago the Belfast Telegraph first reported that a woman had alleged that Jeffrey Donaldson had plied her with alcohol inside his offices here before sexually assaulting her”
- “The same woman is now alleged to have made an allegation of rape”
Who was on air
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Broadcast Timeline
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