Friends cannot explain Noah Donohoe’s behaviour before his death, inquest told
By Helen William, Press Association
Friends and teachers of schoolboy Noah Donohoe cannot explain his behaviour before his death, an inquest has heard.
Brenda Campbell KC, representing Noah’s mother Fiona Donohoe, took retired PSNI Detective Constable Curran, who worked on Noah’s missing persons case, through her notebook detailing police conversations with his friends and teachers.
It included recollections of Noah’s attitude before he went missing in north Belfast almost six years ago.
Dc Curran told jurors at Belfast Coroner’s Court: “They give a description of Noah as a very sociable, articulate and intelligent child. He seemed to know everybody in school and was well-liked.”
The 14-year-old had been planning to meet school friends at Cavehill in Belfast after setting out on his bike on Sunday, June 21st 2020.
He was captured on CCTV 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.
His naked body was found in an underground water tunnel on June 27, six days after he left home.
A post-mortem examination found the likely cause of death was drowning.
Dc Curran, who was trying to build a picture of Noah and get information to feed into the investigation through the conversations, told the court: “Nobody I had spoken to had given any explanation as to why he would have been naked in Northwood Road.”
She said the people she spoke to felt “this is entirely out of character”.
Two of Noah’s friends described him as “the smartest kid” and “everyone liked him”.
He was “inquisitive”, carried a notebook, “he knew everything” and wrote it down to remember it, the inquest heard.
The court heard that friends did not witness him being called names, and that he was never nasty and was always kind.
Noah was “excited” to meet up with his friends after restrictions and was using lockdown as a chance to learn coding as it could be useful for a future job, the court heard.
He was obsessed with reading and titles such as 12 Rules For Life, by the author Jordan Peterson, and George Orwell’s 1984 were on his reading list.
He was very close to his mother, involved in rugby, music, football and the Duke of Edinburgh scheme.
His cello teacher Andrew Nesbitt said he was “always respectful”, upbeat and generally positive and reserved.
The coroner, Judge Rooney, adjourned Wednesday’s hearing early to allow the jury to travel home as there were concerns about transport amid the unrest following the Belfast stabbing attack.
