Emma Little Pengelly: No Warning Signs of Donaldson’s Dangerous Behavior
Traveloasisspot.com – Emma Little Pengelly has spoken out about Jeffrey Donaldson following the revelation of his misconduct, calling the former DUP leader a “master liar” while insisting she never noticed any indicators of his dangerous conduct. The Stormont deputy First Minister, who took over Donaldson’s position as MLA for Lagan Valley in 2022, shared her deep disappointment with the situation.
Two Decades of Working Together
After spending over twenty years alongside Donaldson, Emma Little Pengelly stated she never witnessed any behavior from him that she would have viewed as inappropriate. She described feeling “deeply betrayed” and “sickened” by the news, explaining that the first time she learned of his troubling actions was when he was arrested.
“I have just been so deeply sickened and repulsed by what has come out, I think everybody has, in terms of what Jeffrey Donaldson has done,” she told UTV on Friday.
She went on to clarify that during their entire professional association, she never observed anything that would have raised concerns about Donaldson being either a sexual offender or a paedophile.
Responding to Earlier Claims
Her statements followed questions about what knowledge existed within the DUP and wider political community regarding Donaldson’s actions. She was specifically asked to address assertions made in the Belfast Telegraph earlier this week, which claimed she had told a woman in 2020 that Donaldson was dangerous.
“I can’t speak for this woman. I can’t explain what she was thinking whenever she said that, these are not my words,” she clarified.
Emma Little Pengelly insisted she had seen nothing at that time to warrant worry. She emphasized that no information had been shared with her about Donaldson that would have triggered alarm, and in 2020 she truly did not consider him dangerous to anyone.
“And if I had thought that he was a danger to anyone, not only would I have told people, I would not have been friendly with Jeffrey Donaldson. I saw nothing in that man that made me think that he was dangerous to anybody.”
Seeking to Understand
The deputy First Minister disclosed that she stays in touch with the woman involved and has naturally tried to grasp the foundation of her statement. She recognized that the woman might have been misunderstood or might have misinterpreted something, but stressed that it was her responsibility to offer clarification.
Emma Little Pengelly admitted she struggled to align the claim with her own perception, noting that she did not view Donaldson as dangerous in 2020, so the assertion made “absolutely no sense” to her.
Shock and Disbelief
While acknowledging that Donaldson’s victims must always come first, Emma Little Pengelly confessed she feels “really sick” when uttering his name. She also conveyed that fellow colleagues who worked with him feel “let down” by the revelations.
“It just is so shocking to me that you can know somebody for such a sustained period of time, and you can look that person in the face, and that person has been a monster, an appalling person that has carried out appalling things, and that you don’t see that, and people don’t see that, and it has like it’s really shaken me to my core.”
She added that any suggestion she might have known about these activities at that time or ever “utterly repulses” her.
Legal and Political Consequences
Former DUP leader Donaldson was convicted last month at Newry Crown Court of eighteen sex offences, including one count of rape. These offences involved the abuse of two women when they were children.
On Friday, the Northern Ireland Assembly began its examination into alleged abuse or inappropriate behavior linked with Donaldson during his tenure in Stormont. Additionally, earlier this week, the DUP revealed details of an independent review it had ordered to establish what information was available within the party concerning Donaldson’s conduct.
