No Link Between Laptop Theft and Disappearance
A lawyer representing the family of Noah Donohoe has stated that there is no evidence connecting the man who found the schoolboy's rucksack to his disappearance.
The 14-year-old boy's body was discovered in a water tunnel six days after he went missing in north Belfast in June 2020.
During the inquest on Friday, the family's barrister was questioned on this issue.
Daryl Paul was later imprisoned for stealing a laptop from Noah's bag.
Previously, the inquest heard that CCTV footage indicated Paul could not have had any contact with Noah from the time the boy left his home in south Belfast until his disappearance.
The Donohoe family lawyer has confirmed that this matter is not being disputed.
'Who had the child's phone?'
On Friday, PSNI Detective Chief Inspector Sam McCallum, involved in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) inquiry into Noah's disappearance, returned to the inquest to complete his testimony.
The Donohoe family barrister questioned him about issues concerning Noah's phone.
Shortly before his disappearance, Noah had either discarded or lost his phone.
However, within an hour of Noah's disappearance, a photo showing part of a hand was recorded on the phone. The family's barrister raised the possibility that the phone "was on the move" after Noah went missing.
She explained that Noah's mother, Fiona Donohoe, wanted to understand how this could have happened and whether someone else might have possessed the phone at that time.
The lawyer also explored whether someone could have had Noah's coat, which remains missing, and if the phone might have been inside either the bag or the coat when the device was tracked in the area following the boy's disappearance.
"Who had the child's phone"
'There isn't any evidence'
The lawyer asked Det Chief Insp McCallum about police investigations into these matters.
She specifically inquired whether the police had considered the possibility that the phone was inside Noah's bag when it was found and taken by Daryl Paul, and if Paul had been questioned about this.
McCallum stated that the police were aware of the missing phone at the time but prioritized finding Noah.
He explained the rationale for focusing on locating the boy rather than the phone:
"We would have been following the phone instead of the person"
When the barrister pursued questions about whether Paul might have had Noah's phone or coat, Paul's barrister objected.
Paul's barrister addressed the coroner, Mr Justice Rooney, and the jury, stating there is no evidence implicating his client in Noah's disappearance.
He commented on the earlier questioning:
"There are lots of hints" and "constant references" to Paul without any evidence
In response, Mr Justice Rooney remarked:
"He's quite right, there isn't any evidence"
No third-party involvement
The Donohoe family barrister acknowledged the absence of evidence but maintained it was "legitimate" to investigate these issues, adding:
"I'm not trying to do Mr Paul any harm at all"
When Paul's barrister later asked Det Chief Insp McCallum about Paul's demeanor during questioning about finding Noah's bag, McCallum described him as:
"forthcoming"
The witness was also asked by a PSNI barrister if there was any evidence of third-party involvement in Noah's disappearance.
McCallum replied:
"None whatsoever"
The PSNI barrister noted that throughout five months of inquest hearings, no evidence of third-party involvement has emerged.
Addressing previous criticism of the PSNI regarding the absence of statements from some individuals who had provided information about the case, McCallum agreed it is not uncommon for people to offer information without giving formal statements.
The PSNI lawyer also pointed out, without criticism, that the next of kin had not provided a statement to the police despite supplying "a great deal of very important information".
