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Schoolboy's Death: Police Early Beliefs Revealed
4 Mar
Summary
- Police initially thought Noah Donohoe went missing voluntarily.
- His body was found in a hazardous water tunnel six days later.
- The culvert search faced challenges due to tidal water levels.
An inquest into the death of 14-year-old Noah Donohoe heard that the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) initially considered him to be 'missing voluntarily'. Sergeant Barry Hutchings, the lead police advisor during the search, testified that a specialized team was tasked with searching a culvert two days after Noah disappeared in June 2020.
This culvert, located near where Noah was last seen, presented significant risks and was described as an 'hazardous' environment. The search had to be suspended due to high tidal water levels, necessitating the involvement of a diving team for an underground operation. Noah's body was eventually found over 600 metres downstream from the culvert entrance in a water tunnel near the M2 motorway, almost a week after he went missing.
During the proceedings, it was also noted that police had made inquiries into potential toxic gases within the tunnel. Witness testimony highlighted the 'utter darkness' inside the culvert, with concerns that disturbing silt could release gases, a phenomenon that had caused contractors to withdraw during previous desilting work.
