Talk:Jeffrey Donaldson

seperate WIKI page for upcoming trial ?

the Donaldson's long delayed trial is due to start either today (according to some sources) or next week (as scheduled), i believe a separate page should be created for the trial and linked back to this one so as to not bloat the main article, thoughts ? WorldTravleerAndPhotoTaker (talk) 08:09, 19 May 2026 (UTC)

was thinking along the lines of having a generic title such as "Jeffrey Donaldson criminal trial" for now so as not to prejudice the trial itself (can be renamed after verdict), and only add in whats on the main article for now until the trial kicks off proper next week, it would be a good place for all the pre-trial proceeding that have gone on over the last while that were removed from the main article also ..... if no objections i will crack on with that today ? WorldTravleerAndPhotoTaker (talk) 07:34, 21 May 2026 (UTC)

What benefit to readers would result from creating a separate article on the trial? AndyTheGrump (talk) 11:24, 21 May 2026 (UTC)

Jeffrey Donaldson was a major figure in Irish politics for many years and his article is quite long already, therefore it makes sense to have the legal proceedings on a separate page so as not to bloat it, same as various other well known people who have had legal issues, the pre-trial legal proceedings have already gone on for over two years so quite a bit of relevant info already .... also, there previously was details on legal proceedings on the main wiki page that suddenly got deleted in November 2025 because "the section is getting way over the top especially considering the trail hasn't even started yet" therefore there is a good chance of it happening again WorldTravleerAndPhotoTaker (talk) 13:40, 21 May 2026 (UTC)

also the format of the trial itself is unprecedented in British legal history, as since Eleanor Donaldson will undergo a simultaneous "trial of facts" during her husband's criminal trial, different legal standards will apply to each defendant regarding jury deliberations (i.e.) criminal guilt beyond a reasonable doubt for Jeffrey, but mere factual occurrence for Eleanor: https://streamlinefeed.co.ke/news/sir-jeffrey-donaldson-and-wife-sex-abuse-cases-face-unprecedented-legal-split WorldTravleerAndPhotoTaker (talk) 15:53, 21 May 2026 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 22 June 2026

Get rid of Members of Parliament from Northern Ireland dropbox. He is no longer MP. ~2026-36302-66 (talk) 15:00, 22 June 2026 (UTC)

 Done Destinyokhiria _{(talk / cont)} 16:19, 22 June 2026 (UTC)

“And convicted sex offender”

Out of fear of starting an edit war, I’d like to discuss the line “and convicted sex offender” in the opening paragraph of Donaldson’s page. User Dougal18 has insisted on removing the line from the opening body, a decision I disagree with, as it is an encyclopaedias job to convey the most relevant and appropriate information on any topic and for that to be as readily available as possible. By removing the line “and convicted sex offender” from the opening paragraph, it makes Donaldson’s criminal convictions seem less important than they are. Mooedlorre (talk) 18:55, 23 June 2026 (UTC)

Seconding. This is a historic verdict in Northern Irish politics and is absolutely relevant in an opening summary. Note that, eg, Peter Murrell is correctly addressed as "convicted criminal". ~2026-36489-02 (talk) 23:26, 23 June 2026 (UTC)

I strongly support this change. He is now being referred to in multiple sources as a convicted sex offender or words to that effect in the vast majority of articles about him, so it does meet the standards set out in MOS:ROLEBIO. See this RTÉ article: https://www.rte.ie/news/ulster/2026/0624/1580155-jeffrey-donaldson-knighthood/ or this BBC article:https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx24718vxlvo. I do not buy the argument that it hasn't been long enough for him to be known by these crimes. By that standard, do we have to wait until his time as a convicted sex offender is longer than his time as a politician? So circa 2066? Spudman1 (talk) 17:31, 24 June 2026 (UTC)

It seems the majority consensus (other than from Dougal18 who is naturally going to defend his own decision) is that the line should be reinstated in the opening body, I won’t do it immediately in case anybody else has a point to add (either for or against) but I can’t see a reason to wait to add this pretty important piece of information considering that Donaldson is likely just going to fade into obscurity altogether after sentencing. Mooedlorre (talk) 20:33, 24 June 2026 (UTC)

MOS:ROLEBIO states "The lead sentence should describe the person as they are commonly described by reliable sources. " Donaldson has been a criminal for all of 2 days so I don't see how the "commonly" bit is met. MOS:CRIMINAL states "When the person is primarily notable for a reason other than the crime, principles of due weight will usually suggest placing the criminal description later in the first paragraph or in a subsequent paragraph". He is primarily known for his political career rather than his crimes. Murrell is other stuff exists and the same policies apply there. Dougal18 (talk) 07:40, 24 June 2026 (UTC)

Later in the first paragraph would put it after the first sentence. It is quite a short first paragraph. On the other hand, this article has a long and possibly over-detailed introductory summary, and leaving it to the very end isn't representative of its significance to his biography. In terms of how may days since his conviction, I'd be surprised if it weren't in the first paragraph of his obituary. Considering MOS:CRIMINAL, an analogy with Roman Polanski analogy suggest putting it clearly in the second paragraph. Iveagh Gardens (talk) 18:34, 28 June 2026 (UTC)

• Dougal is correct. This is a bad Wikipedia habit that We Must Describe The Pervert as Such Lest Anyone Think We're Soft on Perverts. Very rarely is someone primarily known for being convicted of sex crimes. This guy had an article before this, and if he hadn't been notable as a politicial, no one would have ever heard of him, and he wouldn't have had an article. People also describe people as any number of other things, but we don't label them as every possible description. Don't get me wrong, this is a major, defining moment in his life, and it should be mentioned in the lead, but not what he "is" in the opening sentence. –Deacon Vorbis (carbon • videos) 00:37, 29 June 2026 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 23 June 2026

Please change "Northern Irish former politician who" to "Northern Irish former politician and convicted sex offender who"

Justification: statement pertinent to the subject and phrasing consistent with other convicted politicians, eg Peter Murrell. ~2026-36489-02 (talk) 23:37, 23 June 2026 (UTC)

 Not done for now: please establish a consensus for this alteration before posting an edit request. This has been added and removed multiple times now. See MOS:ROLEBIO and MOS:CONVICTEDFELON, the lead sentence should describe the person as they are described in reliable sources, and even then, it's better to describe the specific crime itself. Umby 🌕🐶 (talk) 01:17, 24 June 2026 (UTC)

Respectfully, I would like to reopen the request. With specific reference to the Peter Murrell article above, the description is "convicted criminal" and not "convicted embezzler" or some other epithet as MOS:CONVICTEDFELON would suggest is more appropriate. Following that train of thought, MOS:ROLEBIO must allow for "convicted sex offender" to follow Mr Donaldson's political role, with the same weight and positioning.

Regarding being described in reliable sources, two of them are present in the article (here and here) and a third can be found here.

Regarding consensus, I would be interested in reading why it is inaccurate to describe Mr Donaldson as a "convicted sex offender". The phrase has been added twice and now requested a third time by three separate contributors and twice removed by one. I realise that if these trends continue Disco music is set to have a fantastic 1977, but that would seem a sufficient groundwork.

I appreciate this is a sensitive article at a sensitive time and am grateful the edit wasn't rejected outright nor the article completely locked down. Thank you for your time. ~2026-36489-02 (talk) 02:36, 24 June 2026 (UTC)

 Not done: per Umby's response above, you'll need to establish a consensus first. You are welcome to continue the discussion here but please don't reopen the edit request again. Day Creature (talk) 06:49, 24 June 2026 (UTC)

DUP Membership

He has been expelled from the DUP. This happened automatically due to being suspended for over 2 years.

See this article. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0ry792ep5vo Should be reflected in the table on political membership ~2026-34795-22 (talk) 13:39, 24 June 2026 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 28 June 2026

Please change:

Sir Jeffrey Mark Donaldson (born 7 December 1962) is a Northern Irish former politician and convicted sex offender who served as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from 2021 to 2024.

To:

Sir Jeffrey Mark Donaldson (born 7 December 1962) is a Northern Irish former politician and child sex offender. He served as leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) from 2021 to 2024.

Replace "convicted sex offender" with the more specific and accurate "child sex offender" to better reflect the nature of the offences for which Donaldson was convicted. It also restructures the sentence slightly for clarity, separating his political role from his offender status into two distinct sentences, consistent with how similar BLP leads are formatted.Rualach (talk) 22:00, 28 June 2026 (UTC)

 Not done: according to the page's protection level, you should be able to edit the page yourself. If you seem to be unable to, please reopen the request with further details. Day Creature (talk) 01:38, 29 June 2026 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 3 July 2026

Change X: Sir Jeffrey Mark Donaldson (born 7 December 1962) is a Northern Irish former politician and child sex offender.

To Y: Sir Jeffrey Mark Donaldson (born 7 December 1962) is a Northern Irish former politician and convicted child sex offender.

Gives a bit more legal weight as his victims were under the age of consent (16) and he has been quite clearly "convicted" of this crime ~2026-28983-90 (talk) 05:30, 3 July 2026 (UTC)

 Not done: See MOS:CONVICTEDFELON. Labels such as "convicted" can be construed as name-calling or a moral judgement. It's better to instead describe the specific crime, as is already the case here. Umby 🌕🐶 (talk) 06:29, 3 July 2026 (UTC)