THE inquest into the death of Noah Donohoe has continued at Belfast Coroner’s Court this week.

The 14-year-old’s body was discovered in a storm drain in North Belfast in June 2020, six days after the St Malachy’s College student went missing as he cycled to meet friends.

What we learned from the inquest this week:

CCTV footage

  • The jury is examining CCTV footage to understand Noah's route, starting from Northwood Road – the last sighting of Noah – and working backwards in their efforts to trace material relating to the missing boy.
  • CCTV footage collected in 2020 Noah investigation was not watched by police until 2022.
  • CCTV time stamps: Maps appear to put Noah in two different places at the same time but it was suggested that police did not have a full picture of Noah’s movements when he left home for the last time.

Head injury theory

  • On June 24 2020, former PSNI Chief Superintendent Muir Clark had suggested that Noah had fallen off his bicycle and may have suffered some form of head injury or trauma, leading him to be disorientated or incapacitated.

  • Mr Clark said the information he gave at the press conference had been written by others, including officers who had “more detailed knowledge of the case.

  • He said he had made clear the head injury hypothesis to be seen as a line of inquiry “as opposed to a fixed view or a conclusion”.

Daryl Paul

  • The inquest heard details about Daryl Paul, who was found in possession of Noah’s backpack days after his disappearance.
  • CCTV footage shows Noah cycling past the Queen’s Quarter accommodation.
  • On the other side of the building, a man wearing jeans and a top with a red band, interacting with another person on the other side of the railings of a building was pointed out as Mr Paul.
  • Sightings also tracked Mr Paul heading down Botanic Avenue, with further footage placing him in the city centre after the time Noah was sighted on Northwood Road.
  • It was "categorically accepted" that there was no interaction between Noah Donohoe and Daryl Paul at the time.
  • Police later received anonymous call that Daryl Paul had Noah's backpack, containing books, laptop and green North Face coat.

Storm drain 'easy to get into'

  • Sean McCarry from the Community Rescue Service said their volunteers went to the Northwood Road area after hearing that Noah's bicycle had been found. He said they began searches in the general area, including behind local houses, where they discovered a culvert on waste ground.

  • The witness said the grille on top of the cover was "unlocked and could be easily opened".

  • Initial searches were focused on Cavehill, Noah's intended destination on the day of his disappearance.
  • McCarry said Noah's body was found "far beyond" where he would have expected a body to travel in an underground water tunnel.

  • Noah's body was found 625 metres downstream from the inlet.

  • The tunnel runs downhill from Linear Park in North Belfast beyond the Seaview football stadium on the Shore Road and later changes direction to run alongside the M2.

  • His body was recovered close to a Translink depot beside the M2.