Concerns About Noah Donohoe's Mental Health Considered in Investigation
Concerns regarding the mental health of Noah Donohoe were among the factors examined by police during the initial stages of the inquiry into his disappearance, an inquest has revealed.
The body of the Belfast schoolboy was discovered in a water tunnel nearly a week after he went missing on 21 June 2020.
Detective Sergeant Stephen Gardiner was responsible for coordinating the collection of CCTV footage after the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) assumed control three days following Noah's disappearance.
Gardiner informed the inquest that he identified the retrieval of CCTV footage from the vicinity of Noah's last known location as a
"priority line of inquiry"that was being pursued with urgency.
CCTV Footage Presented at Inquest
At the start of Gardiner's testimony, the inquest viewed a nine-minute compilation depicting Noah's final journey from his home to his last known destination.
This compilation was extracted from three hours and 45 minutes of CCTV recordings and showed Noah departing from his residence on the Lower Ormeau Road.
The footage captured Noah initially bringing his bicycle through the door of his family home, then cycling down the street towards the main road, proceeding into the city centre, and continuing via Royal Avenue towards north Belfast.
The concluding segment of the footage showed the 14-year-old cycling naked near the end of his route.
Notably, Noah's mother, Fiona Donohoe, exited the hearing just before the footage was played and returned once it concluded.
Investigative Efforts and Information Gathering
Gardiner explained that the investigative team aimed to collect information that could clarify the circumstances under which Noah parted with his backpack, phone, and clothing.
He added that the investigators were eager to determine
"any relevant event"that might explain what transpired as Noah cycled along the final stages of his journey before his disappearance.
Consequently, Gardiner stated that the investigation was already supported at that point by footage of Noah's journey
"scattered throughout the city", with the hope that it would lead police to him.
He further noted that the police were aware of several pieces of information at the time, including the possibility that Noah may have suffered a head injury due to falling from his bicycle, as well as details from the initial 999 call made by Noah's mother.
The inquest has previously heard the details of the emergency call from Fiona Donohoe, made on the night of Noah's disappearance, in which she expressed concerns about her son's mental health in the days leading up to his disappearance.
