Judge to Begin Jury Charge in Noah Donohoe Inquest
The coroner presiding over the inquest into the death of Noah Donohoe is scheduled to commence his charge to the jury on Thursday.
Noah Donohoe went missing on 21 June 2020 and was found deceased nearly a week later. Mr Justice Rooney will address the jury, consisting of eight men and two women, prior to their deliberation on the verdict.
The charge is anticipated to take at least one full day due to the extensive volume of evidence presented during the inquest. On Wednesday, Mr Justice Rooney indicated that the charge could occupy most of the day and is "probably unlikely" to conclude on Thursday.
"We have to start tomorrow, we're running out of time. We've got to get the inquest finished."
Noah disappeared after cycling across Belfast from his home near the Lower Ormeau Road in South Belfast. He was last observed at Northwood Road in north Belfast, near a waste ground adjacent to a culvert entrance leading to an underground water system.
At that time, Noah had abandoned his bicycle and was unclothed. His body was discovered six days later, more than 600 metres downstream within the tunnel system.The inquest has established that there is no evidence implicating any other individual in Noah's disappearance or death.
Issues examined during the inquest include the maintenance of the culvert by the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) at Stormont and the Police Service of Northern Ireland's (PSNI) investigation into Noah's disappearance and death, alongside various other matters.
On the opening day of the inquest, testimony included a call made to police by Noah's mother approximately four hours after he left their home on the evening he disappeared. Fiona Donohoe expressed concern regarding Noah's mental health in the days preceding his disappearance and his safety.
The jury has reviewed CCTV footage recorded in the early hours of 21 June 2020, which shows Noah leaving the family home alone shortly after 03:00 BST. He was subsequently recorded walking barefoot along nearby streets before returning home shortly after 04:00 BST.
Upon his return, Noah was missing the flip flops and headphones he had worn when leaving, and the belt on his shorts was hanging loose.
Within 24 hours of this footage, Noah was reported missing, prompting a police search to locate him.
