Former DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has arrived at court to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty to alleged historical sex offences when he appears in court on Tuesday.
The 61-year-old ex-Lagan Valley MP arrived at Newry Crown Court for the arraignment hearing, and is charged with 18 offences involving two alleged victims.
The charges include rape, four counts of gross indecency and 13 counts of indecent assault, and are alleged to have occurred between 1985 and 2008.
Sir Jeffrey had initially been facing 11 holding charges brought by police.
In July it was revealed the number of charges had increased to 18 after an evidence file review by the Public Prosecution Service.
His wife and co-accused, Lady Eleanor Donaldson (58), is charged with aiding and abetting between 1987 and 2008 in connection with the alleged offences.
She is also due to appear before the court on Tuesday.
Both were arrested and charged in March, before first appearing in court in April.
In July, a judge ruled there was sufficient evidence for the pair to face trial.
The pair have been previously remanded on bail.
In a letter to DUP party officers sent after his arrest and in which he announced he was quitting as leader, Sir Jeffrey said he would be “strenuously contesting” the charges against him.
Sir Jeffrey’s arrest came just weeks after he led the DUP back to power-sharing at Stormont after striking a deal with the British government over the post-Brexit Irish Sea border.
