Former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police over an allegation that he raped a woman inside the Houses of Parliament in 2016. Multiple outlets report that the allegation is the subject of an early-stage Met investigation after information was passed to London police by officers in Northern Ireland.
The Met statement, as described by several sources, says it received a report referred from the Police Service of Northern Ireland and that the case concerns one victim. Outlets also say the investigation relates to a man who is now 63 and that specialist officers are supporting the alleged victim. BBC and Irish outlets add that Donaldson is not named by police in their public confirmation.
Several publications place the allegation alongside Donaldson’s recent conviction and sentencing. Metro, for example, notes he was sentenced last week to 15 years in prison for child sex offences, including a rape count involving offences between 1985 and 2008, and that he is seeking to appeal. Other outlets focus primarily on the Met investigation and the plan to interview him, without repeating detailed allegations from earlier reporting.
