Jury instructed to focus solely on evidence in Noah Donohoe inquest
Noah Donohoe was found dead nearly a week after his disappearance in June 2020.
The coroner presiding over the inquest into Noah Donohoe's death has directed the jury to exclude several theories from their verdict.
The inquest has been investigating the disappearance and death of 14-year-old Noah in north Belfast on 21 June 2020, just over six years ago.
At the time of his disappearance, Noah was naked.
During an extensive summing up that began on Thursday morning, Mr Justice Rooney addressed the eight men and two women on the jury, emphasizing that their verdict must be based exclusively on the evidence presented during the inquest.
After five months of evidence, he stated their verdict must rest
"solely on the evidence you have heard and seen in this court".
The coroner highlighted that no evidence supports certain potential conclusions and explicitly excluded several possibilities.
Rooney informed the jury they are not permitted to find that:
- Noah was under the influence of drugs at the time of his disappearance
- He was assaulted by anyone
- There was any third-party involvement in his disappearance and death
- He had suffered a psychotic episode
- He was the victim of child exploitation
The coroner emphasized that either no evidence or insufficient evidence was presented to support verdicts aligned with these possibilities or that Noah experienced an acute mental health episode.
Regarding expert testimony indicating that drugs can degrade and disappear from the system if a body is not recovered for several days, Rooney told the jury:
"that's not enough" to conclude that there were any drugs in Noah's system.
He also reminded the jury there was no evidence that Noah was assaulted during his bicycle ride prior to his disappearance, and they cannot deliver a verdict stating he was assaulted by anyone, including Daryl Paul, who was jailed for stealing Noah's missing laptop.
The coroner explained that CCTV evidence demonstrated Paul could not have interacted with Noah from the time the boy left his south Belfast home until he disappeared at Northwood Road on the other side of the city about twenty-five minutes later.
'A hole in their lives'
At the start of his summing-up, known as his charge to the jury, Rooney acknowledged the profound impact of Noah's death on his family and friends.
He stated that Noah was
"loved by his family and friends"and that
"his tragic death has left a hole in their lives".
Rooney also referenced Noah's mother, Fiona, who described the
"magical bond"she shared with her only son, a bond that endures even after his death.
The coroner instructed the jury to disregard any rumours, speculation, theories, or information heard or seen outside the inquest proceedings.
He emphasized that the jury must put aside everything except the evidence presented at the inquest when reaching their verdict.
'We do not know what happened'
Rooney stated the jury cannot assign fault or apportion blame in their verdict.
The jury viewed CCTV footage showing Noah naked as he cycled on a footpath near houses close to where he disappeared.
During the summing-up, Noah's mother, Fiona, who sat alone in a corner at the back of the courtroom, left the hearing while the brief CCTV footage was played.
The coroner reminded the jury that while most of Noah's possessions and clothing were recovered, some items remain missing.
He said,
"We do not know what happened to Noah's shorts and boxers".
His coat has also been missing since the day he disappeared.
Rooney stressed that the jury should consider the circumstances as they were at the time of Noah's disappearance and death, without the benefit of hindsight.
He further instructed that the jury's answers to the questions posed must be unanimous.
The judge's charge follows 62 days of evidence presented over five months.
Since late January, the jury has heard testimony from 76 witnesses who appeared in court or via video link, with an additional 42 witness statements read aloud in court.
Noah Donohoe went missing after cycling across Belfast from his home off the Lower Ormeau Road in South Belfast.
He was last seen at Northwood Road in north Belfast near waste ground where an entrance to an underground water tunnel system is located.
At that time, he had abandoned his bicycle and was naked.
His body was discovered six days later more than 600 metres downstream within the tunnel system.
The inquest has now adjourned, with the coroner's summing-up set to resume on Monday 29 June before the jury deliberates their verdict.
