Skip to content

Crime & JusticeBreaking

Police investigate allegation that former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson raped a woman in Parliament

By

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, mostly center (67%).

4 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Older man with grey hair and glasses in dark suit and patterned tie, outdoors in rain.
Image via Sky NewsHow images are chosenReport this image

Police are investigating an allegation that former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson raped a woman inside the Houses of Parliament in 2016, according to Sky News, the BBC and the Guardian. The Guardian reports that the Belfast Telegraph first reported the allegation, which concerns a woman from Northern Ireland. The Metropolitan Police said it received a referral from the Police Service of Northern Ireland on 13 October about a man now aged 63, and that the investigation is at an early stage. The BBC reports that no arrests have been made and that Donaldson was sentenced last week to 15 years in prison for child sex offences, a sentence he is seeking to appeal.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Police are investigating an allegation that Jeffrey Donaldson raped a woman inside the Houses of Parliament in 2016.

    Reported byLeft1Center2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Center
    Sky News, BBC News

  2. The Metropolitan Police said it received a referral from the Police Service of Northern Ireland on 13 October and that the investigation is at an early stage.

    Reported byLeft1Center1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    The Guardian
    Center
    BBC News

  3. No arrests have been made in the investigation.

    One outletBBC News· Center

  4. The Belfast Telegraph first reported the allegation, according to the Guardian.

    One outletThe Guardian· Left

  5. Donaldson was sentenced to 15 years in prison for child sex offences and is seeking to appeal his convictions.

    One outletBBC News· Center

How each side tells it

Compare views

Center and left outlets all report that police are investigating an allegation that Jeffrey Donaldson raped a woman inside Parliament in 2016. Center headlines focus on the police process and the earlier child sex convictions, while the Guardian headline centers on the investigation of the allegation.

  • the left

    1 outlet

    The Guardian headline states that Donaldson is investigated over an alleged rape in Parliament, with the allegation framed as the subject of police inquiry.

    Jeffrey Donaldson investigated over alleged rape in UK parliament
    The GuardianLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    2 outlets

    Sky News headlines present the rape allegation as an accusation attributed to reports, while the BBC headline focuses on a planned police interview and its description calls Donaldson disgraced.

    Former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson to be interviewed over alleged rape inside Westminster
    BBC NewsCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    No coverage yet

    No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Center1

    disgraced

  • Right

    Has not covered this story.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded modifier

    disgracedMore neutral: former or who resigned after

    Verdict as adjective; say what happened.

    While not naming the disgraced former MP, the Metropolitan Police has issued a statement confirming a 63-year-old…

    Used byBBC News (Center)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

1 outlet

Leads with

  • Metropolitan Police investigation
  • referral from Northern Ireland police
  • Belfast Telegraph's first report
See the headline from the leftHide the headlines
  • The GuardianLeft

    Jeffrey Donaldson investigated over alleged rape in UK parliament

    Met police investigating after referral from PSNI about allegation former DUP leader raped woman in 2016 The Metropolitan police are investigating an allegation that the former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson raped a woman inside parliament in 2016. …

    Read at The Guardian (opens in a new tab)

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • police investigation and interview
  • earlier child sex offence sentence
  • allegation attributed to PA reporting
See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

0 outlets

No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    5 hr 36 min later

    Its first report, Oct 21, 12:25 PM EDT

  • Center

    First to report

    Sky News, Oct 21, 6:50 AM EDT

  • Right

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Sky NewsCenterOct 21, 6:50 AM EDT
  2. BBC NewsCenterOct 21, 10:26 AM EDT
  3. The GuardianLeftOct 21, 12:25 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

Read next

Help someone else find the truth beneath the surface

Most people see one side of a story. Share this one, so they can see how every side is telling it and decide for themselves.

Email it

Seen a mistake? Tell us what is wrong with this page