Debate contribution: Jeffrey Donaldson: Sentencing
Debate contribution by Mr Colin McGrath on .
- MLA
- Mr Colin McGrath
- Party at the time
- Social Democratic and Labour Party
- Date
- 19 October 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Matter of the Day
- Heading
- Jeffrey Donaldson: Sentencing
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5795262
Read the official Assembly record
Text
The monstrous crimes of Jeffrey Donaldson have dominated our airwaves, filled newspaper headlines and commanded public attention. Today, I want to speak about the voices that, too often, have been drowned out by the noise — those of the victims. Regrettably, some of the noise in the Chamber is drowning out their voices as well. This is not and should never have been a story about Jeffrey Donaldson's political career, reputation or fall from grace; it is a story about innocent lives that were devastated by his evil and depraved actions: lives changed for ever, innocence stolen, trust shattered and wounds that no prison sentence will ever fully heal. We must never allow the prominence of the perpetrator to overshadow the strength and forbearance of the victims. We must send an unequivocal message from the Chamber that no one is above the law, regardless of their title, their position, the office that they hold or held, the influence that they wield or the people they know. When someone commits such appalling crimes, they must face the full consequences of their actions. Mr Donaldson has received a sentence of 15 years, yet the reality is that he may serve only seven and a half years in custody. Many people think that that is too lenient: I share that view. How do we begin to measure the destruction of someone's childhood? How do we put a tariff on stolen innocence, years of suffering and a life that might have been so very different? We cannot. That is why we must examine whether our sentencing framework adequately reflects the lifelong devastation that is caused by such crimes. Jeffrey may, one day, walk out of prison. His victims can never walk away from what was done to them. That is the greatest injustice and indeed cruelty, which we must never forget. Their courage deserves our respect. Their suffering demands our recognition. Their right to justice must never be diminished by the status of the person who harmed them. Today, the clear message that we must send from the Chamber to all victims is this: you will be heard, you will be believed and you will get justice.
363 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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