Belfast teenager Noah Donohoe who died in a water culvert was “failed by a Stormont department and police”, his mother has said.
Fiona Donohoe was critical of the Department for Infrastructure (DfI), who she said left a deadly storm drain unsecured and accessible to children.
She also criticised the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), claiming from the moment she reported Noah missing in June 2020 the force “repeatedly failed to investigate, and from the moment he was found stopped looking for answers”.
The long-running inquest into Noah’s death concluded on Tuesday with a jury finding that failings by the DfI around its management of access to a water culvert in north Belfast possibly contributed to Noah’s death.
The jury found there were no police failings that contributed to the 14-year-old’s death – after unanimously agreeing that he died before he was reported missing.
However, jurors identified a series of subsequent investigative errors by officers that impacted the ability of the jury to reach conclusions on aspects of the long-running case.
The findings were read to Belfast Coroner’s Court by the foreman of the jury after 32 hours of deliberations.
In a statement, Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins said she accepted the findings.
“My thoughts are with Noah’s mother Fiona and her family. As a mother myself, I can’t imagine the pain that Fiona and her family must feel everyday since the loss of her beautiful boy,” she said.
“I unreservedly accept the findings of the inquest.
“As minister, I will make sure the department does everything it needs to ensure all lessons are learned.”
Meanwhile Assistant Chief Constable Davy Beck said they acknowledge the impact of Noah’s death, which he described as a tragedy, and said their thoughts remain with his family and friends.
“This was a complex and challenging investigation which garnered huge public and media interest, along with widespread speculation,” he said.
“The eventual outcome was devastating for everyone involved, including the officers, and search teams.
“We note the coronial jury’s findings and as with any investigation, it is important that we reflect on any learnings and ensure they are applied in the future.
“Officers were determined in their efforts to locate Noah and bring him home.
“Sadly, there was no action that police could have taken, that would have prevented Noah’s death.
“We continue to keep his loved ones in our thoughts and recognise the suffering they endure.”
Noah’s body was found in an underground water tunnel in north Belfast and a post-mortem examination concluded that the cause of his death was drowning.
While the jury found it was not “probable” that failings by the DfI contributed to Noah’s death, they did agree that it was “possible”.
Jurors said a failure to identify the culvert entrance as a location that the public could possibly access meant no warning signs were erected at the location and it was only covered by a debris screen.
The jury foreman added: “As a consequence, Noah was able to access the culvert via the debris screen.”
Noah, a pupil at St Malachy’s College, went missing after leaving home in south Belfast on his bike to meet two friends in the Cavehill area of the city.
He took a detour on his journey and shortly before entering the area where the culvert was located, he was captured on CCTV cycling naked.
The case had long been surrounded by mystery and Noah’s mother Fiona campaigned for answers.
The jury found there was insufficient evidence to explain Noah’s behaviour after he left his house at 5.40pm on June 21. Jurors determined that he died in the culvert between 7pm and midnight that night.
Given Noah was reported missing to police the following day, the jury found that police errors or inaction did not contribute to his death.
However, jurors identified 13 subsequent failings that impacted upon the ability of the inquest to reach a conclusion on aspect/aspects relevant to the circumstances of the death.
Most of the errors related to the police investigation.
They included a failure to secure some CCTV footage; failure to view some other CCTV footage contemporaneously; failures related to the search of a house linked to a man who stole Noah’s discarded laptop; and errors with inquiries on the whereabouts of the teenager’s coat.
Jurors said the overall house-to-house search strategy for Noah was “poorly” executed, managed and recorded. They found that some statements were not taken within a reasonable timeframe and the quality of entries in police notebooks was poor.
Jurors said there had been a misinterpretation of phone location data and a failure to identify the potential relevance of a photo of an unknown handprint captured on Noah’s phone around the time of his disappearance.
The jurors said there was uncertainty around anonymous call evidence presented to the inquest and there had also been delays in searching the culvert as a potential location for Noah.
The jury of seven men and two women also found that some DfI records relevant to the circumstances of the case were absent.
The lengthy inquest commenced in January this year. It heard evidence from 76 witnesses and statements from a further 42 people, and involved maps, video footage, photographs, police logs and expert reports.
Jurors commenced their deliberations at the end of June but failed to reach unanimous findings before the court rose for summer recess. They resumed their deliberations on Monday.
After the findings were delivered, coroner Mr Justice Rooney thanked the jurors for their “time”, “dedication” and “commitment” to the case, and excused them from jury service for the rest of their lives.
He did not formally close the inquest and instead adjourned it as he told the legal parties there were still some outstanding matters he would have to deal with at a later date.
Read MoreNoah was ‘my greatest gift in life’ – Fiona Donohoe
‘Inquisitive, kind and bright’: Inquest heard details about character of Noah Donohoe
Fiona Donohoe: How Noah’s mother turned grief into determined battle for answers
What we know about the disappearance and death of Noah Donohoe
MLAs debate law that would criminalise conversion practices in NI
Michael O’Leary comments ‘had impact on victims’, minister says
