Woman jailed for breaching anonymity order in Jeffrey Donaldson case

A woman who breached the anonymity of one of the victims of child sex offender Jeffrey Donaldson has been jailed for three months.

Donna Toman, from Lord Moira Park in Ballynahinch, previously pleaded guilty to the charge of breaching a lifetime ban on reporting.

The 55-year-old was charged after she posted on social media.

While she did not name the victim, Toman gave information which meant it was likely members of the public would be able to identify her.

All victims of sex offences are given anonymity for life under the law.

Downpatrick Magistrates' Court was told on Monday that Toman posted on social media on 26 June and was arrested by police shortly after, when she was remorseful and made full admissions.

Her lawyer told the court she had made the post with the intention of expressing her disgust at Donaldson and it was not her intent to cause distress to his victims.

"She has nothing but sympathy for those victims," he said.

Her lawyer added it was "a lapse in judgment" from his client and that she amended the post within 90 minutes to remove the reference to the victim.

The court was told Toman suffers from anxiety and depression as well as an as-yet undiagnosed degenerative disease.

Her lawyer said the case had taken "a heavy toll" on her including sleepless nights.

He said she had no criminal record and the district judge was given references which said Toman did work with children with disabilities.

"She is someone who has always given back to the community," he said.

The district judge told Toman that Donaldson's victims were likely to have been exposed to severe stress and unwanted attention as a result of her actions.

He said when it came to sexual offending "it is often difficult for a victim to find the courage to come forward and go through a lengthy investigation and trial process".

"Anything which makes it more difficult is very much in the public interest," he said.

He said he had to take into account how upsetting the incident must have been for Donaldson's victims.

"It must be made clear that those who are the victims of sexual offending will be protected and will have their anonymity preserved," he said.

He noted that the defendant had pleaded guilty and said that had she not done so she would have face a sentence near the top end of the range.

The maximum sentence is six months in prison.

Taking into account her guilty plea and other mitigating factors he sentenced her to three months in jail.

Donaldson, who was an MP from 1997 until 2024, was convicted in June of 18 counts of sex abuse including one count of rape, which he committed against two women when they were children.

He was told by the judge that the sentence would be a lengthy one.

It has since been confirmed he is to appeal his convictions.

Catherine Kierans from the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) said all victims of sexual offences have a legal right to anonymity and that "protection is fundamental to the delivery of justice".

She said that in this case, the information was published online "significantly increasing the potential harm to the victim".

"It is important that people who breach this right should face the consequences of their actions," she said.

"I hope the conclusion of this case reassures all victims of sexual offences that your right to anonymity is important."

Kierans added that she is "mindful of the wider impact such breaches can have".

"They risk undermining the confidence of victims who are trying to find the courage to come forward to police.

"I hope the conclusion of this case reassures all victims of sexual offences that your right to anonymity is important. It will be protected. When it is breached and we have the evidence to prosecute offenders, we will do so."