Sinn Féin calls on Poots to 'stand aside' over Donaldson concerns

Sinn Féin has called on the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly to "stand aside" over his handling of misconduct concerns a young woman raised about Jeffrey Donaldson.

Ewin Poots of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has faced questions about his response to the claims, which surfaced in the wake of Donaldson's conviction for child sex offences.

The DUP is commissioning an independent review into issues raised since the former DUP leader was convicted last week.

Poots, who briefly preceded Donaldson as DUP leader, has said he has "nothing to answer for" over his handling of the concerns raised five years ago.

He said there was "nothing of a criminal or safeguarding nature raised" and the woman was offered "support" but she did not wish to make a formal complaint.

Donaldson was convicted of 18 counts of sex abuse, including one count of rape, committed against two women when they were children.

A BBC Spotlight investigation revealed Poots and another senior DUP member were made aware in 2021 of separate allegations from a woman who said she had been "exploited" by Donaldson.

Poots defended his actions on Monday as he faced questions from other Stormont parties, with some assembly members (MLAs) asking whether he should step aside during the DUP's review.

The assembly speaker said that "recusing myself is not something that is necessary at this point, because there is nothing to answer for".

At the start of the assembly business on Tuesday, Sinn Féin assembly member Sinéad Ennis called on the speaker to "stand aside pending the full disclosure of all of the issues".

She told MLAs the idea that Poots and other DUP members "had knowledge of the exploitation" of a young woman "raises serious questions".

Ennis said that according to the current DUP leader Gavin Robinson the matter "was not passed to the party officers".

"This is at best a gross misjudgement by the speaker, at worst it is a fundamental and disastrous moral failure," she added.

"The bottom line here is that a dangerous paedophile went unchallenged, and worse still and despite clear and known red flags, he was elected leader of the DUP.

"On that basis I am calling for the speaker to now stand aside pending the full disclosure of all of the issues, and any and all knowledge of them within the DUP, about inappropriate behaviour before and during Donaldson's time as DUP leader."

The row follows a BBC Spotlight investigation which aired on Friday.

It revealed that not long before Donaldson became DUP leader in 2021, the then-North Antrim MP Ian Paisley said he was approached by a young woman who said she had been exploited by Donaldson and that he should not be allowed to lead the party.

Paisley said the woman did not want to make a formal complaint but he said he told Poots, when he was elected leader.

Paisley described her as a "victim" in a text to another politician during the DUP leadership contest between Donaldson and Poots in 2021.

In response, Poots told BBC Spotlight: "We observed at all times the wishes of the young woman."

Poots responded to questions on the matter during a sitting of the Stormont assembly on Monday.

"When Jeffrey Donaldson and I were campaigning to be elected leader of the DUP in 2021, a party colleague brought to my attention that a young adult woman had brought to him the fact that Mr Donaldson had showed her unwanted attention," he told MLAs.

"There was nothing of a criminal or safeguarding nature raised. The colleague offered her support to take the matter forward as a complaint to several bodies which she declined."

Poots said he understood the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) "investigated this matter" and that "they had nothing to take anything forward".

"So I'm absolutely confident that there wasn't a safeguarding issue at any point because the person was an adult at all points," he said.

Poots added: "I have not had one iota of evidence presented to me or indeed to the public of wrongdoing on my part.

"So recusing myself is not something that is necessary at this point, because there is nothing to answer for."