In a somber turn of events, the process to select a jury has begun for the inquest into the death of Belfast schoolboy Noah Donohoe. The 14-year-old’s body was discovered in a storm drain in North Belfast on 27 June 2020, almost a week after he went missing.
A post-mortem examination concluded that Noah’s death was due to drowning, but his family have raised “outstanding questions” about the circumstances surrounding his passing that they hope the inquest will shed light on. Ahead of the proceedings, Coroner Mr Justice Rooney has warned about the potential serious consequences of any speculative social media posts.
The inquest, which was originally scheduled to begin on 3 November, will now take place before a jury. CCTV footage has revealed crucial details about Noah’s final movements. On 21 June 2020, the teenager was seen cycling through the city centre and towards the Shore Road area of North Belfast, where he was reportedly headed to meet friends at Cave Hill.
However, Noah never made it home that evening. After a large-scale search, his body was found approximately 600 metres from the entrance to a culvert inlet behind Northwood Road in North Belfast. While the pathologist could not provide an exact time of death, she found “nothing inconsistent” with the conclusion that Noah died in the hours after his last known sighting, which was around 7 pm that day.
CCTV footage showed Noah leaving his home on Fitzroy Avenue at around 5:41 pm, cycling towards the city centre and being seen on Royal Avenue at around 5:50 pm. At approximately 5:59 pm, he was observed falling from his bicycle, and at various points during his journey, he appeared to discard some of his possessions, including his rucksack and mobile phone.
Noah’s mother, Fiona, reported him missing at around 9:44 pm that evening. The following day, after a police appeal, a resident of Northwood Road contacted authorities to say they had found a bicycle matching the description of Noah’s. Tragically, his body was discovered in the storm drain on 27 June.
Separate CCTV footage, released by the police in an appeal for information in October 2020, showed Noah leaving his home at around 3:34 am on the same day, wearing flip-flops, a t-shirt and shorts, and carrying headphones. The footage then showed him returning to his home at around 4:08 am, barefoot and without his headphones.
The inquest is expected to provide much-needed answers for Noah’s family, who have expressed that the post-mortem examination raised more questions than it answered. As the selection of the jury continues, the community in Belfast and beyond anxiously awaits the findings that may shed light on this tragic and mysterious case.