JEFFREY Donaldson, former leader of Northern Ireland’s main pro-UK unionist party, had his bail extended yesterday in his first court appearance on sex offence charges.
Donaldson, 61, one of the province’s best-known politicians, has previously said he will be “strenuously contesting” the allegations. In yesterday’s court hearing, he did not enter a plea.
He is facing one charge of rape, one count of gross indecency towards a child and nine counts of indecent assault on a female, according to the Northern Ireland Court Service.
The two complainants, whose accusations span a 20-year period between 1985 and 2006, cannot be named for legal reasons. The politician, who is an MP in the UK parliament, resigned as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) on March 29 after he was charged by…