Noah Donohoe inquest jury set to resume deliberations next month

By Rebecca Black, Press Association

Jury deliberations in the long-running inquest into the death of Belfast schoolboy Noah Donohoe are set to resume next month.

Proceedings were adjourned at the start of July after jurors had deliberated for 24 hours over three days and were unable to reach an unanimous verdict.

The naked body of the 14-year-old was found in an underground water tunnel in the north of the city after having been missing for six days in June 2020.

A post-mortem examination concluded that the cause of Noah’s death was drowning.

The inquest into his death started in January and has heard evidence from 76 witnesses and statements from a further 42 people, and involved maps, video footage, photographs, police logs and expert reports.

Noah’s mother, Fiona, has been present for every day of the inquest.

Jurors have been tasked with agreeing findings on 10 questions, including the date of Noah’s death and whether any errors made by police contributed to his death.

Justice Rooney adjourned the inquest following a late night sitting that ran into the early hours of July 3 after it emerged that a number of members of the jury would not be available to continue the deliberations.

He described an “unprecedented” situation, adding they had “run out of time” and would resume later in the year when all of the jurors were available again.

A review hearing, of which the details cannot be reported, was held on Friday morning.

Jurors are expected to return to resume deliberations on a date in mid September.