A BBC Spotlight investigation has uncovered new details about the double life of disgraced former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Jeffrey Donaldson, including a visit to a London gay sauna in the same year he described homosexuality as sinful. The former MP and government minister was convicted on 18 counts of sex abuse, including one count of rape, against two women when they were children.
Gay Sauna Visit Exposed
In 2006, two senior Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) detectives saw Donaldson entering Chariots, a sauna in central London that marketed itself as a meeting place for gay men. The establishment was located near the Houses of Parliament and the home of the security services. Former head of the PSNI's Serious Crime Branch, Tim Hanley, said he was '100% sure' Donaldson entered the building. The other detective confirmed Hanley's account to the BBC.
'Somebody's sexuality is their own business. But I think it's the whole, if you like, history of the DUP. They were opposed to gay marriage, they've always had that angle, that bigotry towards members of the gay community and that's where the shock came from, that there could be such a double standard. I found it incredible,' the detective said.
Hypocritical Statements on Homosexuality
That same year, Donaldson told the Northern Ireland Assembly: 'Judaism, Islam and Christianity all teach that homosexual practice is sinful… it is a sincerely held view by Christians and people of other faiths.' Friends and former colleagues have described his behavior as a 'double life'.
Victim Came Forward During Leadership Contest
Former DUP MP Ian Paisley Jr revealed that five years ago, a young woman approached him saying she had been 'exploited' by Donaldson. Paisley described her as a 'victim' in a text to another politician during the DUP leadership contest between Donaldson and Edwin Poots in 2021, which led to police involvement. 'She wasn't a teenager but she was a young woman. And she said "Jeffrey Donaldson exploited me, that man used me and I want you to do everything in your power to make sure he is not the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party". The woman wasn't talking to me on some minor issue. This was deeply upsetting,' Paisley said. The woman initially did not want to make a formal complaint but later did.
Edwin Poots said: 'We observed at all times the wishes of the young woman.'
Party Response and Shocked Reactions
A DUP statement said the party 'has no knowledge of these issues raised and is shocked to learn of these alleged incidents highlighted. At no time did the party receive any complaints internally or externally about inappropriate and/or criminal behaviour by Jeffrey Donaldson.'
DUP Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said he had no awareness of Donaldson's apparent double life. He described the former leader as 'a duplicitous individual'. 'It was clearly wrong what took place but it was not something that anyone was really aware of and that's why there was so much shock at the time. We as a party will want to move on and move past this, however for the victims that's going to take a lot longer and they are at the centre of all of this,' Lyons said.
Background and Conviction
Donaldson had a reputation as a politician who could rise to big occasions and rarely faltered under pressure, which helped him rise quickly through party ranks and hold a secure Westminster seat for almost 30 years. However, the BBC also reported that Donaldson took huge risks with his personal security during peace talks to restore Stormont. On Monday, the ex-DUP leader was convicted of 18 counts of sex abuse, including one count of rape, committed against two women when they were children. The BBC contacted Donaldson about the allegations in the documentary, but he did not respond.
