Noah Donohoe jury sent out to consider verdict

The jury in the Noah Donohoe inquest has retired to consider its verdict.

The 14-year-old disappeared and died in north Belfast in June 2020.

His body was found in an underground water tunnel close to the M2 motorway six days after he went missing.

The discovery was made more than 600 metres downstream from the tunnel system entrance which is located close to where Noah was last seen at Northwood Road.

The inquest has been held under the direction of the High Court judge Mr Justice Rooney and a jury of eight men and two women.

The jury members have been presented with 10 questions to consider.

Addressing the jury before they retired to consider their verdict at 10:16 GMT on Tuesday, the coroner told them the central issue they have to consider is “in what circumstances did Noah come by his death”.

He said they must arrive at their verdict based “solely on the evidence you have seen and heard in this court” and to discard any rumours or speculation they may have heard outside the court.

Mr Justice Rooney emphasised to the members of the jury that there is “no pressure of time” and to take as long as they require to reach their verdict which must be unanimous.

The inquest began at the end of January, and the coroner Mr Justice Rooney completed his summing up on Monday.

The five-month hearing explored a wide range of issues including Noah’s behaviour prior to his disappearance as well as the investigation conducted by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) into his disappearance and death.

The jury will consider, among the 10 questions, if the PSNI made any errors which contributed to the schoolboy’s death.

The maintenance of the tunnel system by Stormont’s Department for Infrastructure has also been examined in terms of public access and safety.

Noah’s mother Fiona was in the court with a family member as the jury members left to consider their verdict.