Coroner vows to keep Noah Donohoe inquest ‘on track’ for January start date

A coroner has vowed the delayed inquest for schoolboy Noah Donohoe will begin on its rescheduled start date in January.

Mr Justice Rooney told lawyers involved in the case he does not want to encounter any fresh “obstacles” ahead of the substantive hearing, which is listed to begin on January 19.

Noah, 14, was found dead in a storm drain in north Belfast in June 2020, six days after he went missing as he cycled to meet friends.

The inquest, which will be heard by a jury, has been hit by several delays in the years since.

Noah’s mother, Fiona Donohoe, is hoping the coroner’s case will provide answers to some of the outstanding questions surrounding the death of her son, who was a pupil at St Malachy’s College in Belfast.

Justice Rooney and legal representatives involved in the case took part in a review hearing in Belfast’s Royal Courts of Justice on Thursday.

The parties went through a series of matters requiring attention prior to the full inquest commencing.

During the hearing, a lawyer representing the PSNI was asked to seek clarification from commanders on why a piece of body-worn video of an officer speaking to an individual linked to the case was no longer available to view due to “operator error”.

Justice Rooney also considered a request from Ms Donohoe that she could be accompanied by her solicitor when she is interviewed by an expert psychiatrist commissioned by the coroner to make an assessment of Noah.

The police had objected to the request, insisting it was “abnormal” for legal representatives to attend such discussions, but the coroner accepted Ms Donohoe’s argument that she wanted her solicitor in attendance for “moral support”, and he approved her request.

After addressing a range of other outstanding issues on the case, Justice Rooney stated a determination to keep the timetable “on track” for the January 19 start.

Legal representatives are scheduled to meet several times in the first half of January to focus on unresolved matters.

“I don’t want any obstacles, this inquest must go on,” said the coroner.

“I want to assure everyone that we are and will be ready for the commencement of the inquest.”

14 year old  Noah was found dead in a storm drain in north Belfast five years ago