Juror excluded in long-running Noah Donohoe inquest

Nine jurors – seven men and two women – remain to consider findings in the proceedings at Belfast Coroner’s Court.

A juror has been excluded from the jury in a long-running inquest into the death of Belfast school boy Noah Donohoe.

placeholder image — Fiona Donohoe (centre), the mother of 14-year-old Noah Donohoe, arriving at Belfast Coroner's Court, where the inquest into the death of her son, who was found dead in a storm drain in north Belfast in June 2020, six days after he went missing while cycling to meet friends, is taking place.

Coroner Mr Justice Rooney made the ruling at Belfast Coroner’s Court following a break in proceedings from early July.

Nine jurors, seven men and two women, remain to consider findings in the inquest.

Proceedings were adjourned at the start of July after jurors had deliberated for 24 hours over three days and were unable to reach an unanimous verdict.

The naked body of the 14-year-old was found in an underground water tunnel in the north of the city after having been missing for six days in June 2020.

A post-mortem examination concluded that the cause of Noah’s death was drowning.

The inquest into his death started in January and has heard evidence from 76 witnesses and statements from a further 42 people, and involved maps, video footage, photographs, police logs and expert reports.

Noah’s mother, Fiona, has been present for every day of the inquest.

Jurors have been tasked with agreeing findings on 10 questions, including the date of Noah’s death and whether any errors made by police contributed to his death.

Mr Justice Rooney adjourned the inquest following a late night sitting that ran into the early hours of July 3 after it emerged that a number of members of the jury would not be available to continue the deliberations.

He described an “unprecedented” situation, adding they had “run out of time” and would resume later in the year when all of the jurors were available again.