Posted by Irish News
Latest | Jeffrey Donaldson’s wife Eleanor charged with aiding and abetting
Jeffrey Donaldson’s wife Eleanor is facing criminal charges as part of the case against her husband, the Sunday Independent can reveal.
Mr Donaldson (61) — who quit as DUP leader on Friday after his arrest — is charged with rape, gross indecency and multiple counts of indecent assault.
It has since emerged that his wife of 36 years, Eleanor (57), is charged with aiding and abetting additional offences in relation to the same police operation.
Both strenuously deny any wrongdoing and are due to appear in Newry Magistrates’ Court on April 24.
There was no sign of the former DUP leader or his wife at their bail addresses in the Greenwich area of London and the outskirts of Dromore, Co Down, yesterday, almost 24 hours after the revelations about him which have rocked the political establishment in Northern Ireland.
The PSNI investigation into Mr Donaldson, who has been an MP since 1997, started in January when an allegation of abuse was made against the politician.
Mr Donaldson and his wife Eleanor were arrested at the their Dromore home shortly before 7am on Thursday morning. They had no prior knowledge that they were to be taken into custody. PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher is understood to have been briefed beforehand.
The couple used different solicitors and are understood to have been interviewed in different rooms at Antrim PSNI station simultaneously. They co-operated fully with detectives, answering all questions.
By 10pm that evening, Mr Donaldson was bailed to an address in London, while his wife was bailed to the marital home near Dromore. Because they are co-defendants they cannot be bailed to the same property.
After agreeing his release terms the former DUP leader was able to pack some belongings before boarding an early Friday morning flight from Belfast to London.
He has been staying at his flat in Greenwich which overlooks the River Thames and is a short walk to the well-known Millennium Dome.
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