Retired Officer Haunted by Noah Donohoe's Tunnel Ordeal at Inquest
A retired police inspector has revealed to an inquest that he is perpetually haunted by thoughts of Noah Donohoe being "naked and afraid" within an underground storm drain tunnel. The emotional testimony came during the fourth week of proceedings at Belfast Coroner's Court, where a jury is examining the circumstances surrounding the tragic death of the 14-year-old schoolboy.
Unprecedented Case in Police Experience
Retired Inspector Menary, who formerly managed the Police Service of Northern Ireland's hazardous environment search team, stated he had never before encountered a case where an individual managed to travel such a considerable distance underground through a storm drain system. The former officer described the conditions within the tunnel network where Noah's body was discovered in June 2020 as absolutely "horrendous."
Noah Donohoe, a pupil at St Malachy's College, was found deceased in a north Belfast storm drain tunnel six days after he left his home on his bicycle to meet friends in the Cavehill area. A post-mortem examination subsequently determined that drowning was the cause of death.
Detailed Account of the Search Operation
Continuing his evidence, Mr Menary informed the jury that his team resumed searching a section of the storm drain network on Thursday, June 25, 2020, four days after Noah was reported missing. Access to the tunnel was gained via a culvert entrance in Northwood Linear Park, proximate to where Noah was last sighted on the preceding Sunday.
Mr Menary emphasized that at this stage, the operation was strictly a search mission, not a body recovery effort. He clarified there was "no evidence" at that point suggesting Noah had entered the storm drain. "We were looking for anything strange or out of the ordinary within the culvert," he explained.
The search extended to an area beneath Seaview football pitch, home to Crusaders FC. Describing the severe conditions, Mr Menary recalled, "It's freezing cold. My flood suit at the time is sealed, but doesn't fully seal around the waist, so when I was lying down the water was coming over the top of me and up into the bottom of my jacket."
Imagining the Victim's Experience
When questioned by counsel for the coroner, Declan Quinn, about what it would have been like for someone without protective clothing, Mr Menary responded, "Somebody doing that with no clothes would have been absolutely horrendous and you would have been absolutely frozen."
Mr Quinn further inquired about the physical exertion required to travel from the Linear Park entrance to the searched tunnel section. Mr Menary detailed, "The water would have continually come over you and you would have been frozen. You begin to get disorientated because of the cold, you begin to slow down and you just continually move on that section underneath the football pitch." He described the thought of Noah enduring this as "heartbreaking."
Challenges and Emotional Toll of the Search
The retired officer noted that by Thursday afternoon, his team had lifted manhole covers on both sides of the tunnel where Noah's body was later discovered, but found no indication of his presence. The search was subsequently suspended due to rising tidal levels within the tunnel.
Demonstrating dedication, several colleagues volunteered to work on their day off that Friday to resume operations. Mr Menary highlighted that deep silt in the tunnel prevented camera deployment and hampered equipment functionality, leading to the decision to bring in the police dive team while his HES team stood down.
When asked if the operation was conducted as professionally and urgently as possible, Mr Menary affirmed, "I do." He revealed that most team members had children around Noah's age, making the case increasingly personal. "The longer you work on this job, the more personal it does become," he stated.
Upon learning of Noah's recovery, the team experienced a "real sense of sadness" knowing what he had endured. Mr Menary expressed, "We had taken those steps that Noah had taken and there was a real amount of sadness. There was a sense of relief too that Noah had finally been found and brought home." However, he also acknowledged "frustration" within the team for not locating Noah themselves.
Lasting Psychological Impact
Mr Quinn posed a critical question: whether the retired officer had ever experienced a case, particularly involving a child, where someone entered a culvert system naked and traveled such a distance downstream. Mr Menary's response was unequivocal: "Never."
Discussing the emotional impact on his team, Mr Menary reflected, "We reflect on all the things we do, and we would be robots if we didn't. Being down there and actually taking that route, we had lights, we had everything else. To think of somebody doing that alone, naked, afraid in the dark, I still think about it today."
He added with profound empathy, "I can't even begin to imagine the hurt, the difficulty, the daily pain that all this would cause, I think about it all the time." The inquest into Noah Donohoe's death continues as further evidence is presented.
