Police probing the death of teenager Noah Donohoe, whose body was discovered in a storm drain in Belfast, reportedly did not investigate reports of screaming near the location where the boy was found, an inquest revealed.
Noah, a student at St Malachy’s College, was 14 years old when he was found deceased on June 27, 2020 – six days after he left his home on a bicycle to meet friends in the Cavehill area of Belfast.
His body was located over 600 meters downstream from where he was last seen near a culvert inlet behind residences at Northwood Road in north Belfast, with drowning determined as the likely cause of death based on a post-mortem examination.
During the inquest at Belfast Coroner’s Court, it emerged that police only gathered statements from four out of seven residents who reported hearing noises, including screams, between midnight and 3 am on June 22, despite having a team of 25 detectives.
One couple, who heard three screams around 1:30 am near their home on Northwood Road, were approached by police almost a year after initially reporting the incident. Another resident who heard noises at their front door was never contacted by the authorities for a statement.
Additionally, a caller informed police that her daughter heard a scream on June 21 at approximately 6:25 pm at Dunlambert Drive, but no formal statement was taken.
The inquest highlighted discrepancies in police actions, with concerns raised about the limited number of statements obtained despite the resources available for the investigation. Police logs indicated issues with managing information from public appeals, prompting a shift to using notebooks and journals to record details.
In response to questioning, Detective Chief Inspector McCallum explained that gathering unverifiable statements from residents who heard screams was not a priority during the initial stages of the investigation. He emphasized that the urgency decreased once Noah’s body was located, although the search for him had been deemed critical.
The inquest proceedings underscored the importance of thorough investigation procedures and the need for swift and comprehensive action in response to reports of incidents potentially linked to Noah’s tragic demise.
