Ballynahinch woman pleads guilty to identifying Donaldson sex abuse victim

Donna Toman (55) admitted breaching a lifetime anonymity order protecting a victim of former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson. She faces up to six months in prison.

Guilty plea over anonymity breach in Donaldson abuse case

A 55-year-old woman has pleaded guilty to publishing information on social media likely to identify a victim of former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson, the Irish Times reports.

Donna Toman, from the Lord Moira Park area of Ballynahinch, Co Down, appeared before Downpatrick Magistrates' Court on Monday. She admitted breaching a lifetime ban that protects the identities of those at the centre of the Donaldson trial.

Donaldson, a former MP and DUP leader, was convicted by a jury at Newry Crown Court last June of 18 sex offences, including one count of rape. The offences were committed against two women when they were children, between 1985 and 2008. Both victims — referred to throughout proceedings as Complainant A and Complainant B — are entitled to lifelong anonymity.

The breach by Toman was committed on 26 June. No further details of the specific offence were disclosed to the court.

District Judge Peter Magill confirmed that Toman was pleading guilty to breaching a lifetime ban on identifying a victim. He described the matter as a "serious offence" and ordered a pre-sentence report to be completed by 12 October. The current maximum penalty for such a breach is six months' imprisonment.

Addressing Toman directly, Judge Magill said: "I am not making any promises, we will see what the report says."

Toman, who was for many years a popular Dolly Parton impersonator, was present in court.

Donaldson's legal representative last month announced he intends to appeal against his convictions. His wife, Eleanor Donaldson (60), was found to have aided and abetted his crimes following a trial of the facts, which was granted on mental health grounds.

Donaldson remains held at Maghaberry Prison in Co Antrim — within his former parliamentary constituency of Lagan Valley — and is due to be sentenced in September. Judge Paul Ramsey stated at the close of the jury trial that a custodial sentence was inevitable and would be "lengthy".

Source: Irish Times