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The Commissioner Designate for Victims of Crime in Northern Ireland, Geraldine Hanna, has called on the Secretary of State to commission a single review into the actions of former MP and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Donaldson.
Commissioner Designate for Victims of Crime Geraldine Hanna said:
“Last month I wrote to the Secretary of State stressing the urgency of this matter and I am extremely disappointed that he has so far failed to respond or take action.
“I urge the Secretary of State to commission a single, coordinated, independent review into what was known about the conduct of Jeffrey Donaldson, how concerns were handled across political and institutional settings, and what lessons should be learned to protect victims and prevent future failures.
“Such a review should be trauma-informed, tightly scoped, with a short but realistic time frame and designed to avoid retraumatisation through repeated or poorly coordinated engagement.
“A number of separate reviews have been announced and while each may have a legitimate purpose, there is a real risk that multiple reviews with differing remits and leads could duplicate work, create confusion, miss over-arching issues and require victims to tell their story more than once.
“This last point means that this approach is not trauma-informed and risks leading to further harm to victims.
“We need to understand how concerns were handled across political and institutional settings, and what lessons should be learned to protect victims and prevent future failures. Given the alleged behaviour at Westminster there is also a strong argument for his conduct as a MP to also be appropriately scrutinised.
“The most fitting way to honour the courage of Donaldson’s victims who spoke out is to ensure that their experiences lead to rigorous scrutiny, accountability and lasting learning.”