Jury deliberations in the inquest into the death of Belfast teenager Noah Donohoe have entered a third day.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 9.46am on Thursday. They have spent just over 10 hours discussing their findings since they retired to consider their verdict.Findings “must only be based on evidence heard and seen in court”, coroner Kevin Rooney told the jury of eight men and two women on Thursday. He reminded them that their decision has to be unanimous.Ten questions have been presented to the jury with input from the “properly interested parties” in the case.Among the questions the jury must consider is the date of Noah’s death and whether any errors made by police contributed to his death.“You have to agree on all the questions,” the coroner said. “If you need any help, pass a note to the jury keeper ... please let me know.”Noah’s mother, Fiona, has been present for every day of the inquest, and has led a high-profile campaign for answers about her son’s 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.Fiona Donohoe, the mother of Noah Donohoe, outside Belfast Coroner's Court where the inquest into the teenager's death has been taking place. Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA Wire 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 600 metres downstream in the tunnel.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.Addressing the jury before they retired on Thursday, Rooney told them they were “under no pressure of time”. 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 and submissions of maps, video footage, photographs, police logs and expert reports.In his lengthy summing up of the case, Rooney previously said it is 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 can 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, Sunday, June 21st, 2020, or could potentially have survived until the following Tuesday.It was also suggested there was a possibility, though unlikely, that he was still alive on Wednesday, June 24th.His body was found on Saturday, June 27th.The maintenance of the tunnel system by Stormont’s Department for Infrastructure, in terms of its public access and safety measures, is also among the ten questions being examined by the jury.
Jury deliberations in Noah Donohoe inquest enter third day
Teenager (14) was found dead in an underground water tunnel in north Belfast in June 2020







