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PSNI officer 'had intelligence on Donaldson abuse a year before complaint'
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PSNI officer 'had intelligence on Donaldson abuse a year before complaint'

BBC News · Jun 26, 2026, 11:00 PM

Key takeaways

  • PA Media Image caption, Jeffrey Donaldson was found guilty of 18 sex abuse charges earlier this month.
  • A BBC investigation was told that the detective and a child safeguarding expert identified Donaldson after speaking to the victim, known in the recent sex abuse trial as Complainant A.
  • A former senior police officer has told the BBC that such suspicions should have been passed to the chief constable.

Why this matters: a developing story that could shape the day's news cycle.

PA Media Image caption, Jeffrey Donaldson was found guilty of 18 sex abuse charges earlier this month. A police detective suspected that Jeffrey Donaldson could be a secret child abuser a year before he was named to police, it has been claimed.

A BBC investigation was told that the detective and a child safeguarding expert identified Donaldson after speaking to the victim, known in the recent sex abuse trial as Complainant A.

A former senior police officer has told the BBC that such suspicions should have been passed to the chief constable.

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