Department Official Refutes Claim of Ignorance Over Tunnel Hatch Lock
A witness at the Noah Donohoe inquest has rejected a claim that a Stormont department "hadn't a clue" about a central issue in the case.
Jonathan McKey, a senior official at the Department for Infrastructure (DfI), was questioned regarding the entrance to a culvert near the location where Noah went missing in north Belfast in June 2020.
A lawyer representing Fiona Donohoe, Noah's mother, explained to the inquest that the teenager died after "having got access through a hatch or bars" at the culvert.
Six days following Noah's disappearance, his body was discovered in an underground drainage system more than six hundred metres downstream from the culvert inlet, which is situated behind homes on Northwood Road.
Since the boy's death, questions have been raised about safety measures at the culvert inlet, particularly focusing on whether a hatch alongside steel bars was locked. The bars formed part of a debris management system.
"It Probably Wasn't Locked"
During his testimony on Friday, Jonathan McKey stated that it is not definitively known if there was a padlock on the hatch in the months preceding Noah's death.
"To be fair and reasonable I think it wasn't locked."
In a robust exchange, McKey rejected the suggestion by the family lawyer that the department "hadn't a clue" whether a padlock was in place.
"It was an absolute shock to us that Noah had lost his life in a culvert that the department maintained."
He noted that the case attracted significant media attention at the time and that the department sought to address the matter promptly.
"It probably wasn't locked"
"The assertion that the department didn't have a clue isn't right."
McKey also informed the coroner, Mr Justice Rooney, and the jury that the department did not have a policy regarding whether culvert hatches should be locked or unlocked, leaving the decision to operations teams at each location.
"We Don't Know How Noah Got In"
The family barrister highlighted public concern that a child had died "having got access through a hatch or bars" and mentioned a recommendation that a padlock should have been installed on the hatch prior to Noah's death.
When McKey stated that experts agreed Noah entered through the bars, the family barrister responded:
"We don't know how Noah got in."
McKey further explained that there are two types of screens used at culverts: a security screen and a debris screen.
He stated that the culvert in question had a debris screen, which did not require a padlock.
The witness was also questioned about safety concerns for local families whose back gardens adjoin the waste ground where the culvert is located.
McKey said homeowners had not raised any safety concerns regarding the culvert.
"It's an exceptionally vigilant community."
The family barrister countered that residents had not been informed about potential risks and that the department had not advised them that the culvert hatch lacked a padlock.
Referring to Noah's death, the family barrister stated:
"He'd still be here" if there had been a security screen at the site.
She also noted that a parent of two young children from Northwood Road had expressed the opinion that the area was dangerous.
The family barrister said this indicated the woman was "completely unaware" of safety concerns at the site.
The department official maintained that a debris screen was appropriate at the location to manage issues including the risk of downstream flooding at homes on the Shore Road.
"Where there are lessons to be learned, we'll learn those lessons."
The inquest has previously heard from the department official that the area around the culvert entrance was not accessible to the public and that access was limited to the occupants of four nearby homes on Northwood Road.
Noah was last seen running naked between some of the nearby houses toward private back gardens adjoining the culvert site.
