Police Witness Defends CCTV Footage Handling in Noah Donohoe Case
A police witness has defended his management of CCTV footage during the initial days following the disappearance of Noah Donohoe in north Belfast.
Inspector Cuan Bell served as a duty sergeant during the early stages of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) search for the schoolboy, whose body was discovered in an underground water tunnel nearly a week after he went missing in 2020.
While giving evidence at the inquest into Noah's death, Insp Bell was questioned about CCTV footage from a property at the end of the Northwood Road cul-de-sac, near the location where Noah disappeared.
The inquest has been investigating whether any relevant information related to Noah's disappearance in the area might have been overlooked due to the rear-view CCTV footage not being thoroughly examined at the time.
CCTV footage recorded at the front of the house was provided to police one day after Noah's disappearance. This footage showed Noah naked, abandoning his bicycle on the pavement before disappearing behind the houses.
Insp Bell told the inquest that he also reviewed CCTV footage from the rear of the same house during the search.
"I was aware there was one [a camera] at the rear."
He informed the coroner, Mr Justice Rooney, that he viewed the rear footage on a mobile phone at the time but did not believe it contained much additional information.
"Was it likely to get anything? No".
Assessment of Rear CCTV Footage
The witness was questioned by Fiona Donohoe's barrister regarding his failure to document his awareness of the rear-view CCTV camera in notes and statements.
Insp Bell stated he requested the footage to be examined in more detail but considered "the likelihood of getting something on it was highly unlikely."
He explained his belief that the view beyond the back garden of the house would have been obscured by the garden fence, which he estimated to be approximately 6 feet in height.
The jury, comprising nine men and two women, was shown a video re-enactment designed to illustrate what the rear CCTV camera might have captured around the culvert behind the houses, near where Noah was last seen.
The barrister suggested that "movement" and "a head and shoulders" could be observed in the video re-enactment.
Insp Bell responded that this could be attributed to the height of the person participating in the re-enactment.
He suggested the person in question could have been taller than 6ft - whereas Noah was just over 5ft in height.
Defence of Phone Transmitter Data Handling
The witness also defended the timing and processing of transmitter information related to Noah's phone.
He was asked why he did not ensure that some information relating to these matters was matched by the PSNI at an earlier stage on the day after Noah went missing.
Insp Bell emphasized that these data points were only part of a broader investigation at the time.
"Their operation included searches in many different parts of Belfast as well as conducting checks at shopping centres, transport hubs and public spaces."
Regarding information about "pinging" on Noah's phone, Bell said:
"Was it the most important information? I'm not really sure it was".
On the subject of CCTV footage, he remarked:
"If you're checking CCTV, you're not guaranteed results".
He added:
"Plenty of streets aren't covered by CCTV".
Insp Bell also highlighted that collecting and reviewing CCTV footage requires time and noted difficulties in accessing certain businesses and premises at the time due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
He further explained:
"Everything doesn't have the same weight" in any police investigation.
Inquest Proceedings
The inquest, which commenced in January, is expected to continue until the first week of May.
