Jury shown CCTV footage of Noah Donohoe’s final journey

By Jonathan McCambridge, Press Association

The jury in the Noah Donohoe inquest has watched CCTV footage of the schoolboy cycling naked in the moments before he went missing in 2020.

The inquest also heard from one of Noah’s classmates, who said he had had no concerns about the mental health of his school friend at the time.

Noah was 14 when he was found dead in a storm drain in north Belfast in June 2020, six days after leaving home on his bike to meet two friends to travel to the Cavehill area of Belfast.

The inquest, which is being heard with a jury, is examining the circumstances around the schoolboy’s disappearance and death.

On Tuesday afternoon, the inquest was shown nine minutes of non-continuous footage of Noah on the evening he went missing.

He is first seen leaving his apartment block in Fitzroy Avenue with his bike, wearing a cycling helmet and a backpack.

Through a series of clips, he is then seen cycling through the city centre and then towards the north of the city.

In the final clip, the last footage of Noah before he disappeared, he is seen riding the bike naked.

The jury then heard evidence from a motorist who saw Noah on the same evening after he had fallen from his bike.

Donna Blain first contacted police during the period between Noah going missing and his body being discovered and then gave a statement 10 months after the schoolboy’s death.

The inquest heard she was driving from the Shore Road onto North Queen Street when she saw Noah, who appeared to have fallen from his bike and was lifting it back off the ground.

She said she did not know what caused the fall.

The witness told the inquest that Noah was looking around as if embarrassed before he cycled off.

She said he left his coat behind on the ground.

She also said she did not see anything that gave the impression that Noah had been injured.

Earlier, Charlie Rocks, told the hearing he was Noah’s “closest friend” when they were pupils at St Malachy’s College in Belfast.

He said: “He was the nicest, friendliest person, funniest person.”

Mr Rocks said Noah was the “smartest kid, he was always asking questions”.

He added: “Noah was friendly with everyone in school. I joked with him that he knew everyone in school.

“He wasn’t the type of person to be in the popular friend group, but he knew everyone.”

The witness continued: “He never mentioned to me anything about storm drains or going underground or being in tunnels.

“If he had have been interested in these things, he would have talked about them as he would always have spoken about things that he was interested in throughout lockdown.

“He appeared to be upbeat and was looking forward to ending lockdown.

“He never appeared to be down or depressed, and only mentioned once to me that he was feeling blue.”

Counsel to the coroner, Peter Coll KC, asked Mr Rocks if he had had any concerns about Noah’s state of mind before he went missing.

Mr Rocks said: “Noah is very eccentric as a person, and I think some of the last conversations we had before he passed were certainly eccentric.

“I think that was because of the transitional period he was going through.

“But in terms of immediate concern, I had none at the time, and even looking back on it now, I still don’t.”

The inquest was shown a series of social media messages between Noah, Mr Rocks and another friend – Jay Tierney.

Mr Rocks told the inquest that he believed Noah had become “more open” about his mental health during the Covid lockdown period.

He said: “He was starting to grow up and think more about his emotions. He was definitely changing, which was great.”

Mr Rocks told the hearing that Noah had asked him if he wanted to read the self-help book 12 Rules for Life, by the author Jordan Peterson, but that he had declined to read it.

Under questioning from barrister for the PSNI Donal Lunny, Mr Rocks said he had been unaware that Noah had occasionally stayed overnight alone in his Belfast apartment.

Barrister for Fiona Donohoe, Brenda Campbell KC, asked Mr Rocks if he had ever known Noah to struggle with his sexuality.

He responded: “He was straight from what I knew.”

The court was shown messages between Noah and Mr Rocks when they both discussed liking the same girl.

Mr Rocks said: “I was just a teenager and so was he.

“It was important for me with him that made it clear that it was him first for me, and if he had any issue with it, I would have stepped away because he was so important to me and I know that I was important to him.”