The ongoing inquest into the tragic death of 14-year-old Noah Donohoe has heard compelling and unsettling new evidence from witnesses who described disturbing events on the night the schoolboy disappeared in north Belfast. The proceedings, now in their third week at Belfast Coroner's Court, are meticulously examining the circumstances surrounding Noah's death, which occurred in June 2020 when his body was discovered in a storm drain six days after he went missing.
Chilling Testimony of a High-Pitched Scream
Gemma McMullan, a resident of Northwood Parade, provided a haunting account to the court. She recalled that on the night of June 21, 2020, she was reading in her home after putting her son to bed. After midnight, she suddenly heard a scream that pierced the silence.
"Totally out of the blue, I heard a scream," Ms McMullan stated. She immediately went to her bathroom at the back of the house, where the sound seemed to originate, opened the window wide, and looked around. However, she saw no one, and her security lights had not activated. The area was pitch black and eerily quiet.
Reflecting on the sound, she added, "Due to the high-pitched sound of the scream, I assumed it was either a young person or a female." This testimony adds a poignant layer to the investigation, hinting at the possible distress Noah may have experienced that fateful night.
Attempted Break-In and Fearful Response
Another witness, Sandra Semple, who was living in Premier Drive near the wasteland where Noah's body was later found, described a separate but equally alarming incident in the early hours of June 22. She was sleeping downstairs in her house when she was awakened by a noise at her back door around 3am.
"I was woken by a noise at my back door, it was the back door handle being tried," Ms Semple told the hearing. "The back door was locked, and whoever was at the back door was moving the handle up and down as if to open it."
Fearing for her safety, she did not look outside to identify the intruder. Instead, she hid under her blankets until morning, too scared to investigate further. This account underscores the tense and fearful atmosphere in the neighbourhood that night.
Discovery of Clothing and Missed Connections
Heather Scott shared a regretful story with the inquest. Her son had sent her a photograph of a blue hoodie and trainers left outside his property on Northwood Road, asking her to check his home. She found the property secure but noticed the clothing items still present.
"I thought that perhaps they belonged to somebody who had been drunk," Ms Scott explained. She moved the hoodie and trainers, placing them over the gate of a derelict property next door. Only later, upon hearing a radio report about Noah's disappearance, did she realise the items matched the description of what she had handled. She promptly contacted the police, highlighting a tragic missed opportunity in the search efforts.
Eyewitness Accounts from Northwood Road
Residents of Northwood Road, where Noah was last seen, also provided key testimony. Chris Morrow recounted visiting a relative on the evening Noah went missing. As he was leaving, he saw a black bike lying on its side on the footpath. The next day, after work, he noticed a black helmet on the street and alerted police upon seeing a social media post about a missing boy, though he did not see Noah himself.
A statement from his wife, Lauren Morrow, was read to the court. She described leaving her grandfather's house in Northwood Road around 7pm on the evening of the disappearance and seeing a black bike on its side. Later, while walking her dog in Northwood Crescent, she spotted a black skater helmet beside a lamppost.
"I noticed it as it was brand new, and I had thought to myself, why was it sitting there?" she said. "It didn't appear to have any damage to it."
Another resident, Lauren Russell, reported in a statement that she checked her front door and saw a navy jacket over a neighbour's wall. Outside, she found a pair of dark trainers with a bright orange or yellow Nike tick on the ground, noting it seemed as if someone had deliberately placed them there.
Background and Ongoing Proceedings
Noah Donohoe was just 14 years old when he was found dead in a storm drain in north Belfast in June 2020, six days after leaving home on his bike to meet friends in the Cavehill area. A post-mortem examination concluded that his death was due to drowning. His mother, Fiona Donohoe, has attended every day of the inquest, seeking answers and closure.
The inquest continues to piece together the events of that tragic night, with witness testimonies painting a vivid picture of the confusion and fear that gripped the community. As the investigation progresses, more details are expected to emerge, shedding light on the final moments of Noah's life.
