The jury in the inquest into the death of Belfast teenager Noah Donohoe has returned for a second day of deliberations.It comes after almost six months of evidence at Belfast Coroner’s Court.The 14-year-old was found dead in an underground water tunnel in north Belfast in June 2020, six days after he left home to meet friends, sparking a major search operation.Jurors resumed their deliberations at 9.45am on Wednesday.Addressing them before they retired to consider their verdict at 10.16am on Tuesday, coroner Kevin Rooney said the “central question” to decide was “in what circumstances did Noah come by his death”.The St Malachy’s College pupil had cycled across the city from his home in south Belfast to the Northwood Road area of north Belfast on Sunday, June 21st, 2020.He abandoned his bike on a pavement at Northwood Road close to waste ground where a culvert entrance to an underground water system is located.His body was found more than 600m downstream in the tunnel system. He had previously been seen falling off his bicycle, as well as discarding his clothes and cycling naked.A postmortem found that the likely cause of death was drowning.The coroner told the jury of eight men and two women that the law prevented them from reaching a majority verdict so they had to try to agree unanimous findings.“You must decide solely on the evidence you have seen and heard in this court, rather than on guesswork or speculation,” he said.Warnings were given against using the internet for research. “This is very important,” added Rooney.Ten questions have been prepared for the jury with input from the “properly interested parties” in the case.The questions range from those with “yes” or “no” answers to those that demand narrative responses, and from a factual account of Noah’s death to questions around the actions of police and around the culvert where it is believed he entered the storm drain.Jurors were told they were “under no pressure of time”. “You must take as long as it takes to discuss the issues,” the coroner said.They deliberated for five hours and 15 minutes on Tuesday. The inquest began hearing evidence in late January and was expected to last for three months.It is now in its 22nd week and has heard evidence from 76 witnesses, statements from a further 42 people, as well as considering maps, video footage, photographs, police logs and expert reports.Fiona Donohoe, who has led a high-profile campaign for answers about her son’s death, raised concerns about the police investigation in her statement to the inquest.She has attended every day of the inquest, which is being held in Northern Ireland’s biggest courtroom.In his lengthy summing-up of the case, Rooney previously said it was for the jury to decide whether PSNI errors were made in the search for the teenager and whether they contributed to his death.He stressed, however, that any finding of error against police could only be made in relation to any potential act or omission that took place before Noah died.The exact time of the teenager’s death is unknown.Experts have said Noah may have died on the same day he went missing or could potentially have survived until Wednesday. His body was found on June 27th.
Jury in Noah Donohoe inquest resumes deliberations
Teenager was found dead in an underground water tunnel in north Belfast in June 2020, six days after he left home to meet friends







