BELFAST schoolboy Noah Donohoe was crying in his room, hours before he disappeared, an inquest into his death has heard.
Originally intended to start in November 2025, the inquest before a jury was pushed back after there were concerns that the evidence would not be finished before Christmas.
The jury selection began on Monday afternoon with more than 100 potential candidates and continued throughout the day on Tuesday. On Thursday morning, a jury of 11 people were sworn in to the court to begin proceedings.
The body of Noah (14) was found in a storm drain in the north of the city in June 2020, six days after he went missing.
During the first evidence session, an almost 26-minute phone call from Ms Donohoe to a PSNI call handler on the evening he went missing was played for the jury.
Ms Donohoe told police she had concerns over her son's mental health and that he had been crying in his room earlier that day.
“He was crying in his room. I asked him why he was crying. He turned to me and said he was laughing," she said on the call.
“Out of nowhere he said he was going to meet his friends and go up Cavehill.
“I said I don’t want you to go because I was very concerned about his mental health all week. He took a backpack. My instinct is telling me it’s not right.
“He’s taken his laptop as well. He’s never out this late. It’s so unlike him. He’s been overthinking things. He’s really not been himself.”
The inquest continues.
