The Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland has spoken of her shock after the conviction of former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson for child sex abuse. Emma Little-Pengelly, who worked with Donaldson for more than two decades, said she and many colleagues were entirely unprepared for the scale of his crimes.

Donaldson was found guilty in June of 18 counts of sexual abuse, including one count of rape, committed against two women when they were children. The 63-year-old is being held at Maghaberry prison in County Antrim ahead of sentencing in September. He has indicated he will appeal the convictions.

Ms Little-Pengelly described her reaction to the arrest as being completely floored. She said those who worked alongside Donaldson over the years have been left shocked and utterly repulsed. She described paedophiles as master manipulators and noted she clearly never knew the man she thought she had worked with.

She stressed that the focus must remain on the child abuse for which he was convicted, rather than on other allegations that have since emerged. Police confirmed this month they had received a complaint about an alleged nonrecent sexual assault by Donaldson on a woman at the DUP's Westminster offices in 2016. Ms Little-Pengelly said such claims, along with reports of heavy drinking and extramarital affairs, pale into insignificance compared to the convictions.

The deputy first minister, who first worked with Donaldson when she was in her mid-20s, said no one ever warned her to be cautious around him. She did not find him sleazy and never felt he was a sexual predator. She said she saw no sexually inappropriate behaviour or problematic drinking from him at any time.

Addressing reports of his conduct during a St Patrick's visit to Washington 20 years ago, she said she found it astounding that such allegations had not been widely discussed for decades. She stated plainly that she did not witness any such behaviour on that trip.

The DUP has launched an independent review into what was known within the party about Donaldson's conduct. Ms Little-Pengelly said she hopes the inquiry will establish clearly who had knowledge of his actions, and she suspects it will show that no one had any inkling of his true nature.