Home / Crime and Justice / Noah Donohoe Inquest: Key Map Withheld From CCTV Team
Noah Donohoe Inquest: Key Map Withheld From CCTV Team
24 Mar
Summary
- Police map of Noah Donohoe's phone location was not given to CCTV operators.
- Maps are classified as sensitive under PSNI policy, hindering access.
- Concerns raised about potential delays in the missing persons investigation.
The inquest into the death of Noah Donohoe is examining why a crucial map detailing his phone's last known location was withheld from CCTV operators. Jurors heard that maps are classified as sensitive under Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) policy, leading to questions about potential delays in the search.
Noah, a 14-year-old student, vanished in June 2020 and was found deceased six days later in a storm drain tunnel in north Belfast. The initial post-mortem indicated drowning as the likely cause of death.
During the inquest, a police witness confirmed that while officers were committed to finding Noah, operational procedures and shift changes could lead to unavoidable gaps in activity logs. The handling of CCTV footage from locations like Grove leisure centre, and the reliance on eyewitness accounts over electronic data, also came under scrutiny.
Further questions were raised about the TLU (Telecommunications Liaison Unit) maps, with concerns that their sensitive classification prevented civilian CCTV operators from accessing vital location information. This contrasted with instances where such maps were shared with other parties, prompting debate on the policy's impact on high-risk missing person cases.
