UPDATE 1 — Northern Ireland's Donaldson sentenced to 15 years in jail for child sex offences

Judge says case 'disturbing and disquieting' One of Northern Ireland's best-known politicians Donaldson qualifies for automatic halving of sentence (Adds court statement on portion of sentence Donaldson will spend in jail in paragraph 9) By Amanda Ferguson NEWRY, Northern Ireland, Oct 15 (Reuters) — The former leader of Northern Ireland's largest unionist party, Jeffrey Donaldson, was sentenced to 15 years in jail on Thursday for child sex offences that were described by the judge as representing "a catastrophic descent into disgrace". Donaldson was convicted in June of one count of rape, 13 counts of indecent assault and four counts of gross indecency against two children between 1985 and 2008 in one of the highest-profile cases in the British-run region in recent times. He was one of Northern Ireland's best-known politicians and its longest-serving lawmaker in the British parliament when he was arrested and charged in March 2024. The 63-year-old stared straight ahead as Judge Paul Ramsey handed down the sentence. Ramsey described the case as "disturbing and disquieting" and assessed Donaldson as having a medium chance of reoffending. Donaldson, who has been in prison awaiting sen