Noah Donohoe ‘looked like he’d been crying’ on day he disappeared, says mum as inquest into schoolboy's death begins
The mother of Noah Donohoe said she found her son crying in his room on the day he disappeared.
Fiona Donohoe made the comments when she gave a witness statement into the death of the Belfast schoolboy on Thursday.
The long-awaited hearing into the death of Noah finally got under way after a jury of nine men and two women was selected at Belfast Coroner’s Court.
The 14-year-old was found dead in a storm drain in north Belfast in June 2020, six days after he went missing as he cycled to meet friends.
As the emergency call was played to the court on the day her son went missing, Ms Donohoe told police that she was concerned for her son’s safety after he had “not been himself”.
Describing the events of June 21, 2020, she said: “I went to his room to say thank you for washing the dishes and I saw his eyes were red, and he looked like he had been crying.
“And I asked him, ‘were you crying’?
“And he said, ‘no, I was laughing’.”
She further said how her son had never gone missing before and that he was “overprotective” on the day he went missing by giving her hugs and telling her he loved her.
She told the call handler: “He has acted so out of character this week.
“He has been so up and down, his moods have been so out of character.”
Ms Donohoe also said in her witness statement that she “feared the worst” when he did not return home at the agreed time of 8pm.
She added: “My instinct told me something wasn’t right.”
Ms Donohoe said she had “so many questions” about the PSNI investigation into Noah’s disappearance.
“I feel like that a blind eye has been turned to the evidence that conflicted with the police theory about what happened to Noah,” she said.
She outlined: “I have a duty to Noah to find out what happened to him and how he died, and understand whether his death could have been prevented.”
Ms Donohoe described her son as a “beautiful, happy and much-loved soul”.
She added: “I am tormented with the thought that any part of his legacy could be tainted by rumour and suspicion about who he was or what happened to him.
“Noah, with his genuine, fun-loving, kind and inquisitive nature and his joy for life, and his bright future ahead of him, should be at the heart of this inquest.”
Earlier, presiding coroner Mr Justice Rooney gave an outline of the case to the jurors, and said while they may have heard details previously, it is “absolutely imperative” they do not have a predetermined view of what happened.
He told the jury they must deliver their findings on the evidence “you see and hear in court”, and they “must ignore” publicity around the proceedings.
The coroner said the inquest is expected to last until late March.
Counsel for the coroner, Peter Coll KC, then delivered his opening statement, telling the jury they would see CCTV footage which showed Noah cycling in north Belfast wearing no clothes on the evening he went missing.
The barrister said the jury would hear evidence that the bars on the storm drain were far enough apart for Noah to pass through.
He said Noah’s disappearance was “completely out of character”.
Mr Coll explained to the jury the scope of the proceedings and the evidence they would hear.
He said: “You will hear, see and read much more evidence about the circumstances of Noah’s death.”
He said the jury had the key role in finding the facts of how Noah had died.
A montage of photographs of the schoolboy was played to the court.