An inquest into the death of a teenager whose body was found in a Belfast storm drain has found there is not enough evidence to explain the puzzling circumstances of how he died, partly due to mistakes by police investigators.
Noah Donohoe, 14, was last seen on 21 June 2020 when he left his south Belfast home on his bicycle, telling his mother he was going to visit friends. His naked body was found six days later, deep inside an underground water tunnel in the north of the city.
The case provoked huge interest in Northern Ireland, with intense speculation on social media over how and why he died, and concerns raised about the police handling of the case. A postmortem in 2020 found that Noah died by drowning.
The inquest jury had heard eyewitness and CCTV evidence that Noah had been seen cycling through Belfast in the afternoon and early evening of Sunday 21 June, at one point falling from his bike, and apparently abandoning items of clothing and possessions as he went. He was eventually seen cycling naked, and was captured on CCTV abandoning his black Apollo mountain bike and making his way in the direction of a stream that led to the storm drain.
A jury at Belfast coroners’ court found no failings by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) that may have contributed to the teenager’s death after unanimously agreeing that he died before he was reported missing. However, they identified a series of 13 failures by investigators that they said had affected their ability to reach conclusions on its circumstances.
These included a failure to secure some CCTV evidence, to follow up leads relating to Noah’s green coat, which has never been recovered, and to take relevant statements in a reasonable timeframe. Jurors said the overall house-to-house search strategy for Noah was “poorly” executed, managed and recorded. They found that some statements were not taken within a reasonable timeframe and the quality of entries in police notebooks was poor. In addition, there had been delays in identifying and searching the storm drain.
The inquest found it was possible, but not probable, that mistakes in the management of the storm drain by the Northern Ireland assembly’s Department for Infrastructure had contributed to Noah’s death. No warning signs were erected at the location and it was closed off only by a debris screen that did not prevent access.
Fiona Donohoe, Noah’s mother, had told the inquest that her son had been uncharacteristcally emotional and affectionate in the days before his disappearance, and that she had had fears over his mental health, having found him crying in his bedroom.
She said her son had become fixated on the controversial Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson; one of Peterson’s books, 12 Rules for Life, was in Noah’s backpack along with his laptop when he left home. Friends and teachers described an intelligent, funny and musical child who had been a popular high-achiever at school.
The jury also heard evidence from a number of psychiatric experts who agreed Noah did not appear to have suicidal tendencies or to have taken drugs. A report from consultant psychiatrist Dr Richard Church said the case was the “most sad and unusual” he had dealt with in his career.
Footage showing the boy falling from his bike had led to an early police theory that he had suffered a head injury and become disoriented, something his mother felt was given too much emphasis. The family’s relationship with investigators broke down, and they launched a crowdfunding appeal for a documentary investigating his death.
DCI Tom Phillips, giving evidence in June, apologised to Fiona Donohoe and admitted that the PSNI missed opportunities to establish where Noah had gone when he was later found to have left home at 3.30am on the night before his disappearance, returning 30 minutes later without his flip-flops and earphones.
Phillips acknowledged his mother had to “force” a full investigation into his death, saying: “I am very sorry she had to do that.”
A previous investigation into potential corporate manslaughter against the Department for Infrastructure over the access to the storm drain foundered due to insufficient evidence.
The inquest has been sitting since January and was originally scheduled to conclude by Easter. It was adjourned by the coroner, Mr Justice Rooney, on 3 July after the jury had retired to consider their verdicts but without them having come to agreement; they resumed deliberations on Monday.
Outside Belfast coroner’s court, solicitor Niall Murphy read out a statement on behalf of Noah Donohoe’s mother, Fiona.
“Noah was my greatest gift in life,” her statement said. “I miss him every day. He should still be here with me, following his dreams and planning for his future. I came to this inquest seeking answers, and I leave it with one clear answer: Noah was failed.
“He was failed by the Department for Infrastructure, who left a deadly storm drain unsecured and accessible to children. He was failed by the PSNI, who, from the moment I reported him missing, repeatedly failed to investigate and, from the moment he was found, stopped looking for answers.
“Instead, to deflect from their own failings, the Department for Infrastructure and police have sought to blame Noah.”
The statement from Noah’s mother concluded: “I always told Noah I would fight his corner if he ever needed me to. Luckily, I have not been alone in this fight, and I am so grateful to my family, and to Noah’s army, who have stood in Noah’s corner alongside me in their thousands from day one. They carry Noah’s legacy with them.”
