“We feel progress has been made”

THE family of Noah Donohoe say they believe progress has been made in the case following a preliminary inquest into the teenager’s death in Belfast today.

Fourteen-year-old Noah went missing in Belfast on the evening of Sunday June 21 whilst cycling to meet friends to study for a Duke of Edinburgh project.

However six days after his disappearance, the body of the missing teen, whose family is originally from the Lisnafin area of Strabane, was found in a storm drain in the north of the city. Police stated that there was no foul play involved. However over half a year later and the family remains in the dark over the exact circumstances leading up to the teen’s demise.

Today’s hearing was told the PSNI has received a report that Noah may have been assaulted as he cycled through the city.

The Donohoe’s legal representative Niall Murphy, from KRW Law, said this line of inquiry is ongoing. He also made a number of appeals for anyone with CCTV footage or mobile phone photographs to come forward to police immediately.

Speaking outside the court Mr Murphy said, “The coroner has formally fixed the full hearing date for the inquest for January 2022, and he has also outlined a time-table within which we would hope to receive disclosure. We hope to receive statements towards the end of March and that will hopefully provide some details that have been missing to date.”

Noah’s mum Fiona, and aunt Niamh were also present outside the court. They said they felt as if a ‘weight had been lifted’ today.

“To know we are going to get some sort of disclosure, it’s moving forward. And as we keep saying it’s just for the answers,” Fiona explained. 

Niamh added, “We feel progress has been made today and a weight has been lifted’.