Noah Donohoe's Body Contamination
Noah Donohoe's body was severely contaminated when recovered from an underground water tunnel in north Belfast, an inquest has heard.
Trevor Cooke, a PSNI major crime forensics adviser, testified that he attended the scene after the 14-year-old's body was discovered nearly a week after he went missing in June 2020.
Cooke explained that search and rescue teams and officers had left the storm drain due to rising tide levels, and the body had been placed above ground.
He described the boy's body as "badly contaminated with dirty water and dirt" and noted "scuff marks" on the knees and elbows.
Cooke stated that a crime scene investigator collected nail scrapings and head hair combings.
'The important thing was Noah'
Cooke told the inquest that the pathologist who performed the post-mortem requested a water sample the following day.
He explained he did not collect a water sample on the day the body was found because he was restricted to the overground area where Noah's body was placed, and it was unsafe to enter the storm drain.
"At that time, it wasn't considered,"
Cooke emphasized the dangers posed by the tidal level, stating,
"We couldn't go in, full stop."
He added,
"The important thing was Noah himself."
Cooke also outlined that any water sample taken would need to be evaluated considering factors such as the time elapsed between Noah's disappearance at one end of the tunnel and the location where his body was found more than 600 meters away almost a week later.
He acknowledged that Noah had entered the tunnel at a different location and believed there were minimal forensic opportunities near where the body was recovered.
Cooke clarified that his presence at the scene did not imply it was a crime scene.
Police Search Hampered
The inquest also heard that aspects of the police search were hindered by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Details were provided about extensive efforts by PSNI officers to obtain CCTV footage from various locations across Belfast following Noah's disappearance in June 2020.
Noah had cycled from his home off the Lower Ormeau Road in south Belfast to Northwood Road in north Belfast, where he was last seen alive.
To establish the route taken, officers contacted businesses along different paths from south to north Belfast.
Inspector Cuan Bell, duty sergeant during the two days after Noah's disappearance, told the inquest officers were "very committed" to the search.
"We wanted to get this right,"
Bell explained that some CCTV footage was of "very poor quality."
He also described difficulties accessing some CCTV footage because the search occurred during Covid-19 restrictions.
Some individuals who could operate business CCTV systems were unavailable, and others were working from home, resulting in reduced staff at certain businesses.
CCTV Footage
Another officer, Detective Inspector David Kitchen from the PSNI's Criminal Investigation Department (CID), gave evidence about his role in the search and investigation.
Kitchen became involved when the CID took over the investigation three days after Noah's disappearance and was tasked with collecting CCTV footage.
He told the inquest his priority was to locate CCTV footage that could provide "a second sighting" of Noah after footage showing his last known sighting at Northwood Road had been secured.
Kitchen was questioned about a CCTV camera at the rear of a house near where Noah was last seen.
He stated he was only aware that the householder had provided footage from a front camera of the same house.
"I believed there was one camera, and she was showing me footage from that camera,"
He added he was unaware of any specific requests to check for additional CCTV footage around the area where Noah was seen falling off his bicycle before cycling off and leaving his coat on the pavement.
Kitchen emphasized that he focused his efforts around Linear Park and neighboring streets in north Belfast because the area was close to Noah's last known location.
