// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Jeffrey Donaldson victim describes 'profound impact' of child sex abuse
Jeffrey Donaldson, pictured in May during his trial, was convicted of 18 counts of sex abuse
The victims of child sex offender Jeffrey Donaldson have described the impact the abuse had on them.
Donaldson was convicted in June of 18 counts of sex abuse including one of rape, which he committed against two women when they were children.
The former Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader appeared at Newry Crown Court for a hearing prior to his sentencing in October. He is seeking to appeal his convictions.
The prosecution barrister told the court that one of the women said her childhood had been stolen, while the second said the abuse affected her every day.
In her submission to the pre-sentencing hearing, Rosemary Walsh KC outlined what she described as the "salient facts" that were heard during the course of the trial.
She also described the impact the offending had on both victims, whom were described during the trial as Complainants A and B.
She said both complainants often wondered what life would have been like if they hadn't experienced the abuse.
In her victim impact statement, Complainant A described the "profound impact" the abuse had on her.
Walsh said the complainant believed her childhood had been "stolen" and that she felt an "enormous amount of anger that is always simmering away under the surface".