(Bloomberg) -- Jeffrey Donaldson, the former leader of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party, pleaded not guilty to 18 historical sexual offense charges in court Tuesday.
Donaldson appeared at Newry Crown Court along with his wife Eleanor Donaldson who also pleaded not guilty to three out of the five charges she faces. Donaldson is accused with one count of rape, 13 charges of indecent assault and four of gross indecency. The accusations span two decades.
Eleanor Donaldson faces five charges in total including of aiding and abetting and willful neglect between 1985 and 2004, she lodged an application for the remaining two charges to be thrown out on the basis of insufficient evidence.
Donaldson served as Lagan Valley’s Member of Parliament for over 20 years, a career bookended by corralling his party back into Northern Ireland’s assembly in January after a two-year boycott over the region’s post-Brexit status. He stepped down in March as party leader after he was initially charged.
In July’s UK general election, Donaldson’s long-held Westminster seat was won by a non-unionist for the first time.
Judge Paul Ramsey set March 24 as the date for the trial to begin, with a review of the matter in October.
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