Noah Donohoe Inquest Hears Witness Accounts of Screams and ‘White Flash’

The inquest into the tragic death of 14-year-old Noah Donohoe continues in Belfast Coroner’s Court, now in its third week. Noah, a popular pupil at St Malachy’s College, was found in a storm drain in north Belfast in June 2020, six days after he left home on his bike. His mother, Fiona Donohoe, has attended every day of the proceedings.

Emotional testimony was heard from local residents living close to the area where Noah disappeared. Tanya Brown, who lives in Premier Drive, told the jury that she was in bed reading around midnight on June 21, 2020, when she heard what sounded like a distant human scream. She woke her husband, Grant Brown, and went into the back garden, where she heard a second scream. When questioned by counsel for Ms Donohoe, Brenda Campbell KC, Ms Brown confirmed she had no doubt that the noise was a human scream.

Her husband, Grant Brown, also gave evidence, recalling hearing a muffled scream that sounded like a girl’s. Mr Brown added that he later woke up around 3 am and saw a “white flash like a torchlight” briefly appear at his kitchen window. Counsel for the family noted that this timing aligned with evidence previously heard that a neighbour had been woken by someone attempting to open her back door.

Police Evidence and Phone Discovery

The inquest also heard further evidence from police officers involved in the initial search and investigation. A detective constable confirmed that during the search for Noah, she had sent a text message to his phone to reassure him that he was not in trouble. The court heard that when the mobile phone was later found by a member of the public in a North Belfast park and recovered by police, the officer answered a call from Fiona Donohoe to immediately inform her the device was in police possession.

Another constable was questioned about a statement provided to the Coroner’s Service seven months after Noah’s death. In this statement, the officer had recalled Ms Donohoe describing Noah as “very weepy” and that she had requested the school arrange counselling for him before his disappearance. Counsel for the family highlighted that this specific detail was not contained in the officer’s initial notes or police logs from the time Noah was missing, noting that the account differed materially from Ms Donohoe’s own evidence. The constable maintained the statement was based on his recollection of conversations with Ms Donohoe.

The officer’s later statement also referenced Noah’s interest in the book 12 Rules For Life by Jordan Peterson, a detail that had previously been mentioned in the inquest regarding Noah’s reading materials. The inquest is set to continue.