Noah Donohoe inquest jury delivers findings as investigation failings identified

The inquest into the death of Belfast schoolboy Noah Donohoe has concluded its main fact-finding stage, with a jury identifying a series of failings relating to the management of the culvert where he died and the subsequent police investigation.

The jury unanimously concluded that 14-year-old Noah died by drowning in a culvert in north Belfast between 7pm and midnight on 21 June 2020, the day he disappeared.

It found there was insufficient evidence to explain Noah’s behaviour after he left his south Belfast home earlier that evening.

What did the jury conclude?

Noah left his home on his bicycle at around 5.40pm on 21 June 2020 intending to meet friends in the Cavehill area.

His body was discovered six days later in an underground water tunnel in north Belfast. A post-mortem examination determined the cause of death was drowning. 

The jury found that failings by the Department for Infrastructure in relation to its management of access to the culvert possibly, but not probably, contributed to Noah’s death.

Jurors found that the culvert entrance had not been identified as a location potentially accessible to members of the public. As a result, there were no warning signs and access was covered only by a debris screen.

The jury concluded that this enabled Noah to gain access to the culvert. 

PSNI investigation

The jury found that police failings did not contribute to Noah’s death, having concluded that he had died before he was reported missing the following day.

However, jurors identified 13 subsequent failings which affected the ability of the inquest to reach conclusions on aspects relevant to the circumstances surrounding his death. 

These included issues relating to the securing and examination of CCTV footage, the execution and recording of house-to-house enquiries, delays in taking some statements, the quality of police notebook entries and the interpretation of phone-location data.

The jury also identified issues relating to inquiries into Noah’s coat and a house connected to the man who stole Noah’s discarded laptop, as well as a failure to identify the potential relevance of an image of an unknown handprint captured on Noah’s phone.

There were also delays in searching the culvert as a potential location for Noah.

Questions remain unanswered

Despite the lengthy inquest, the jury found there was insufficient evidence to explain Noah’s behaviour after leaving his home.

Despite the lengthy inquest, the jury found there was insufficient evidence to explain Noah’s behaviour after leaving his home. The coroner had directed jurors that their conclusions must be based solely on the evidence heard during the inquest.

The proceedings began in January and heard evidence from 76 witnesses, while statements from a further 42 people were also considered.

Jurors deliberated for around 32 hours across five days before returning unanimous findings.

Fiona Donohoe: Noah was ‘failed’

Following the findings, Noah’s mother Fiona Donohoe said she had entered the inquest seeking answers and believed she was leaving with one clear conclusion: that her son had been failed.

She criticised both the Department for Infrastructure and the PSNI and said Noah had deserved better.

Ms Donohoe also paid tribute to her son, describing him as her “greatest gift in life”, and thanked his friends for helping the inquest remember the person he was. 

Authorities respond

Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins said she unreservedly accepted the findings of the inquest and would ensure that her department learned the necessary lessons.

The PSNI said it would reflect on the jury’s findings and ensure lessons were applied in future investigations. Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck also stressed that, according to the jury’s findings, there was no action police could have taken that would have prevented Noah’s death. 

Although the jury has delivered its findings, the inquest has not yet been formally closed. Mr Justice Rooney adjourned proceedings because some outstanding matters remain to be dealt with.