A witness has testified at the ongoing inquest into the death of Noah Donohoe that he initially believed seeing a naked schoolboy cycling past was merely a "prank." The hearing at Belfast Coroner's Court resumed on Monday following a week-long adjournment, now entering its fourth week of proceedings.
Details of the Tragic Disappearance
Noah Donohoe, a 14-year-old pupil of St Malachy's College, left his home on his bicycle in June 2020 to meet two friends in the Cavehill area of north Belfast. Tragically, he was found deceased in a storm drain six days after his disappearance. A post-mortem examination conclusively determined the cause of death as drowning. The inquest is being conducted with a jury present, and Noah's mother, Fiona Donohoe, has attended every single day of the hearings.
Witness Account of the Naked Cyclist
Connor McConnell provided a statement to the inquest, which was read aloud to the jury. He recounted being at his mother's partner's house on Sunday, June 21, 2020. "While at the house, I was sat facing the living room window that looks out onto Northwood Road when I saw a male cycle past the window naked," his statement detailed. "I initially thought that this was a prank."
Mr McConnell stated that after witnessing this, he went outside and observed items of clothing scattered on the street. A second statement presented to the inquest elaborated further: "I told the police I had seen a nude male cycling up the street, and had observed his shoes neatly placed on the footpath and shorts and boxers looked like they had been stepped out of. These were also on the footpath, as were a T-shirt and hoodie, which I believed also belonged to the male."
Additional Observations and Police Contact
The witness also reported seeing a dark car driving up the street subsequently, followed by two men conversing at the top of the cul-de-sac. He concluded that this incident had no connection to the naked cyclist he had observed earlier.
Audio recordings of two phone calls made by Mr McConnell to the police on the Monday and Tuesday following Noah's disappearance were played for the jury. During his testimony, Mr McConnell asserted that he believed he had made three calls to the authorities, including two on the Sunday night itself. He explained that the first call was prompted after he saw a Facebook post about a missing person that had been shared that evening.
Discrepancy Over Initial Police Contact
However, counsel for the coroner, Declan Quinn, informed the witness that the police's official position is that the first contact from Mr McConnell occurred on Monday night, not Sunday. Mr McConnell maintained his belief that the first of the two calls played in court was actually made on the Sunday evening.
Donal Lunny, the barrister representing the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), stated that after conducting "various searches," the police were "satisfied" that Mr McConnell's initial contact was indeed on Monday, with a second follow-up contact made on Tuesday. This discrepancy remains a point of note as the inquest continues to examine the circumstances surrounding Noah Donohoe's tragic death.
