A woman who witnessed schoolboy Noah Donohoe cycling naked on the day he disappeared believed it was a 'prank', an inquest has heard. Noah, 14, was found dead in a storm drain in north Belfast in June 2020, six days after leaving home on his bike to meet friends.
On Thursday, Belfast Coroner's Court heard from Kerry Fraser, who was at her partner's house on Northwood Road the evening Noah went missing. She told the court: 'He was totally naked. I thought it was a man who had had too much to drink on Father's Day and was having a prank. He was sitting down cycling and did not appear to be distressed, although he was cycling quickly.'
Ms Fraser said she later went outside and found grey shorts and white boxers in the street, a jumper hung over a wall, and a pair of trainers 'placed neatly against the wall'. The bike was lying on the ground further up the cul-de-sac. She became aware of a public appeal over Noah's disappearance and contacted police.
Another resident, Karen Crooks, told the inquest she found Noah's bike near her car on the same evening. She lifted it and propped it up, and contacted police after seeing a social media post about Noah's disappearance. Ms Crooks said an area of wasteland where the storm drain was located could be accessed through a side gate at her property.
The inquest continues at Belfast Coroner's Court, with Noah's mother Fiona Donohoe attending every day.
