Inquest Details on Culvert Accessibility
The inquest into the death of Noah Donohoe has revealed that the culvert near the location where the 14-year-old Belfast schoolboy disappeared was "easy to get into." Noah's body was discovered in a water tunnel close to the M2 motorway nearly a week after he went missing in North Belfast in June 2020.
Search Efforts by Community Rescue Service
Sean McCarry, representing the Community Rescue Service, testified during the inquest that their volunteers responded to the Northwood Road area after learning that Noah's bicycle had been found there. They initiated searches in the surrounding area, including behind local residences, where they identified a culvert situated on waste ground.
Mr. McCarry described the culvert's grill as "unlocked and could be easily opened." He further noted that the culvert was large enough for an adult to pass through.
Search Focus and Expansion
Initially, the search concentrated on Cavehill, which was Noah's intended destination on the day he disappeared. As their efforts continued, the search areas expanded to various locations.
After Noah's mobile phone was found at a play park nearby, the search extended towards the city centre, Sailortown in the Docks, and the River Lagan. Despite these expansions, searches at Cavehill persisted because it was understood that Noah could have reached Cavehill via the North Belfast route he had taken on the day he vanished.
Mr. McCarry described some parts of Cavehill as "sometimes like a jungle," indicating the challenging terrain faced by search teams.
Documentary and Family Tribute
Before Mr. McCarry's testimony, a video from the BBC documentary The Search was shown. The documentary highlighted the voluntary efforts of the Community Rescue Service, focusing particularly on their volunteers' involvement in the search for Noah, alongside hundreds of members of the public.
In the documentary, Fiona Donohoe, Noah's mother, expressed her gratitude towards the volunteers and the public. She described the Community Rescue volunteers as:
"a light in the darkness"
She also paid tribute to the members of the public for their significant role in the search efforts to find Noah.
