Witness Expresses Confusion Over Police Theory in Noah Donohoe Inquest
A woman who witnessed schoolboy Noah Donohoe fall from his bicycle on the evening he disappeared has told an inquest she was "confused" by a police theory that he suffered a head injury during the incident. Amanda Seenan gave evidence at Belfast Coroner's Court, stating she did not see the 14-year-old strike his head despite describing the fall as "pretty bad" and "not light".
Details of the Witness Account
Ms Seenan's police statement, read to the hearing, detailed how she was driving with her baby daughter on North Queen Street in Belfast on the evening of 21 June 2020. She observed a male cyclist ahead of her who "took a tumble off his bike" near a bus layby. She noted that the bicycle went down with him, but he "jumped up and got onto his bike again" quickly before pedalling away, leaving a green coat on the road.
When questioned by counsel to the coroner Peter Coll KC, Ms Seenan emphasised the severity of the fall, stating: "It's pretty bad, not horrifically bad, but it wasn't just a light fall to the side or whatever, he did go forward." However, she explicitly told the court: "I did not see Noah hit his head on the road."
Contradiction with Police Statements
The inquest heard how counsel for Noah's mother, Brenda Campbell KC, showed Ms Seenan a PSNI press release from the time Noah was missing. This document stated a witness had seen him fall and possibly suffer a head injury. Ms Seenan responded that she had "no reason to believe" Noah sustained such an injury and was "a bit miffed" by the report, as she had not provided that information to police.
Further confusion arose when Ms Campbell presented a police document from the senior investigating officer, which indicated the head injury theory was based on Ms Seenan's witness evidence. Ms Seenan firmly stated: "I definitely didn't say he had a head injury, because I know I didn't see him hit his head. So, I was very confused as to where that was coming from."
Additional Witness Testimonies
The hearing, now in its second week, also heard from several other witnesses who observed Noah's movements that evening:
- Sinead Quinn reported seeing a young male picking up a bicycle from the road at the junction of North Queen Street and Alexandra Park Avenue. She beeped her horn to alert him that his jacket remained on the road, noting he looked "startled" but cycled away without retrieving it.
- Nathan Montgomery described seeing a young cyclist on North Queen Street shortly after 6pm, who appeared "unsteady" and swayed slightly from the pavement toward the middle of the lane. Mr Montgomery assumed this was due to "lack of experience on a bicycle" but said it stuck in his mind.
- Beryl Smyth's statement, read to the court, detailed seeing a young cyclist pass her house on the footpath, working at his helmet straps. Later, she found the helmet on the pavement beside a lamppost, where it remained when she returned from church.
- Krzysztof Kozakiewicz reported seeing a male standing on Northwood Road with no top on while driving a friend.
Noah Donohoe was found dead in a storm drain in north Belfast six days after leaving his home on his bicycle to meet friends in the Cavehill area. The inquest continues to examine the circumstances surrounding his tragic death.
