Key facts
- An inquest jury found 13 failures by police investigators in the case of Noah Donohoe.
- The jury concluded Noah died before he was reported missing.
- Failures included poor execution of search strategies and delays in evidence collection.
- The Department for Infrastructure's management of the storm drain was found possibly, but not probably, to have contributed to his death.
- Noah's mother stated her son was failed by both the police and the Department for Infrastructure.
- Psychiatric experts found no evidence of suicidal tendencies or drug use by Noah.
An inquest into the death of 14-year-old Noah Donohoe, whose body was discovered in a storm drain in Belfast, has concluded that while there is insufficient evidence to explain the circumstances of his death, police investigators made a series of failures that hampered the investigation. The jury at Belfast coroners’ court found that Noah died before he was reported missing, and therefore the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) did not contribute to his death in that regard. However, the jury identified 13 specific failures by investigators, including issues with securing CCTV evidence, recovering Noah's green coat, and delays in taking statements and searching the location where his body was found. The overall house-to-house search strategy was described as poorly executed. The inquest also found it possible, though not probable, that mistakes by the Department for Infrastructure in managing the storm drain, which was accessible due to a debris screen rather than warning signs, contributed to his death. Noah's mother, Fiona Donohoe, had previously told the inquest that her son had been uncharacteristically emotional and affectionate in the days before his disappearance, and that she had concerns over his mental health. Psychiatric experts who testified stated Noah did not appear to have suicidal tendencies or to have taken drugs. DCI Tom Phillips of the PSNI apologized to Fiona Donohoe, admitting that opportunities were missed to establish Noah's whereabouts when he briefly left home early on the night of his disappearance. A previous investigation into potential corporate manslaughter against the Department for Infrastructure did not proceed due to insufficient evidence. Fiona Donohoe stated that Noah was failed by both the Department for Infrastructure and the PSNI, and accused them of trying to blame her son to deflect from their own shortcomings.