The Commissioner for Victims of Crime in Northern Ireland has urged the UK Secretary of State to commission a single, co‑ordinated independent review into what was known about the conduct of convicted politician Jeffrey Donaldson and how allegations were handled by political parties and public bodies.
Call for unified inquiry
Geraldine Hanna, the Commissioner Designate for Victims of Crime, said multiple existing and proposed investigations could cause confusion, duplicate effort and — crucially — require victims to repeat their accounts to different review teams.
“I urge the Secretary of State to commission a single, coordinated, independent review into what was known about the conduct of Jeffrey Donaldson, how concerns were handled across political and institutional settings, and what lessons should be learned to protect victims and prevent future failures,”
Donaldson was convicted at Newry Crown Court earlier this year of 18 sex offences, including one count of rape, relating to the abuse of two women when they were children. The offences were said to have taken place between 1985 and 2008. He has been stripped of his knighthood and removed from the Privy Council and is currently detained at Maghaberry Prison awaiting sentencing.
Multiple reviews under way
Since the conviction was announced, a number of separate processes have been initiated by political parties and public bodies:
- The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has begun a review of Donaldson’s time in the party.
- The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), which he previously belonged to, has also announced its own review.
- The Northern Ireland Assembly has established a process examining behaviour and potential incidents at Parliament Buildings during Donaldson’s tenure as an MLA.
- The Civil Service has launched a scoping exercise into related matters.
Ms Hanna argued that while each of these inquiries may have legitimate aims, running them separately risks missing overarching lessons and, importantly, compels victims to retell traumatic experiences to multiple teams.
She recommended any single review be trauma‑informed, narrowly focused, carried out within a short but realistic timeframe and structured to protect victims from further harm through poor co‑ordination.
Institutional implications
The commissioner’s intervention places pressure on the UK government and Northern Ireland’s institutions to decide how best to proceed. A single, independent review would require an agreed scope and an appointing body with sufficient authority to access records and take evidence across party and civil service boundaries.
Those advocating for separate probes may argue they serve distinct purposes — for example, party disciplinary processes, parliamentary behaviour reviews and civil service internal examinations each having different remits. Ms Hanna said these differing aims reinforced her case for a single, co‑ordinated exercise to avoid duplication and to capture any systemic failings.
| Body | Action announced |
|---|---|
| DUP | Review of Donaldson's time in the party |
| UUP | Review of his time in the party |
| Northern Ireland Assembly | Process examining behaviour at Parliament Buildings |
| Civil Service | Scoping exercise |
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Sir Chris Bryant, is the official to whom Ms Hanna addressed her recommendation. Any decision to commission a single, independent review would be a political as well as administrative judgement, balancing the need for swift answers for victims with the legal and procedural rights of those involved.
As inquiries progress, police and courts retain responsibility for criminal proceedings and sentencing, while separate institutional reviews will determine whether failures in oversight, reporting or response occurred and what reforms might be necessary to protect victims in future.
Ms Hanna’s plea underlines the wider challenge facing UK institutions when serious historic offences involve public figures: ensuring accountability while safeguarding those who come forward to give evidence.
