Police Officer Cannot Explain Evidence About Search for Noah Donohoe's Coat
A police constable has stated he cannot explain why he told an inquest jury that he was tasked to search for a green coat belonging to missing schoolboy Noah Donohoe, despite later conceding he "didn't believe" he had been informed about the item. The officer gave evidence on Thursday during the ninth week of the inquest into the 14-year-old's death at Belfast Coroner's Court.
Conflicting Testimony Emerges During Hearing
Constable Wharry initially informed the jury that he had searched a Belfast flat for the missing coat during the investigation into Noah's disappearance. However, under questioning, he admitted he "didn't believe" he had actually been told about the coat. The officer also revealed he had been "briefed" by a team at Musgrave Street police station in Belfast before providing his testimony on Thursday.
Noah Donohoe, a pupil at St Malachy's College, was found dead in a storm drain tunnel in north Belfast in June 2020, six days after he left home on his bicycle to meet friends in the Cavehill area. A post-mortem examination determined the likely cause of death was drowning.
Details of the Flat Search Revealed
Constable Wharry told the court that on June 25, 2020, four days after Noah vanished, he was assigned to assist CID with arresting a male at a Belfast flat. Although nobody was present at the address, officers conducted a search and discovered items of schoolwork belonging to Noah in a rubbish bag in the kitchen shortly before 10pm.
When questioned by counsel to the coroner Peter Coll, the officer confirmed the individual police had been tasked to arrest that evening was Daryl Paul. Paul, of Cliftonville Avenue, had previously pleaded guilty to stealing a rucksack containing Noah's laptop and school books.
The constable testified he had been advised that Noah's laptop, bag, and green coat were in Paul's possession. He stated the flat was "extensively" searched, but the laptop and green coat were not found. The school books were bagged and taken to Musgrave Street police station.
Questioning Over Body-Worn Camera Evidence
The officer also faced scrutiny regarding body-worn camera evidence. He initially stated in his original statement that there was body-worn camera footage of the search, but later said he could not remember if any recording had been made.
Brenda Campbell KC, counsel for Noah's mother Fiona Donohoe, presented the witness with a statement from Ms Donohoe outlining her concerns about the police investigation, including the failure to recover items of her son's clothing. Ms Campbell asked the officer if he understood before testifying that there were concerns about the police not looking for Noah's green coat.
The constable responded that he had been "briefed" at Musgrave Street police station before giving evidence that there had been concerns about the coat.
Inconsistencies in Evidence Highlighted
Ms Campbell pointed out that the officer mentioned the green coat "three or four times" in his evidence, yet it appeared nowhere in his statements or contemporaneous notebook. She stated: "You tell us today for the first time you were briefed in relation to the green coat, that you looked for the green coat and that you didn't find the green coat."
The officer replied: "I looked for all the items we were told to look for." When pressed about whether this included the green coat, he said: "I believe so. We were in the flat, when Daryl Paul was not there we were told items."
However, when asked specifically what items he was told to look for, Mr Wharry said: "The laptop and the bag." He added: "I don't believe we were told about the green coat. We were told about items."
Ms Campbell then asked: "You don't believe you were told about the green coat, why have you told us repeatedly this morning that you were?" The officer did not respond initially, and when asked if he could answer the question, he said: "I am not, no."
Briefing Details and Further Scrutiny
After lunch, Ms Campbell inquired about who was present during the briefing at Musgrave Street station. Coroner Mr Justice Rooney warned the witness that he was not obliged to answer if he felt a truthful response would incriminate himself. The constable indicated he would answer and stated he was briefed by two other officers about "the running order of the court" as he had never been in the witness box before.
Ms Campbell then highlighted the discrepancy regarding body-worn video footage. She pointed out that the officer's first statement to the inquest claimed events during the flat search were captured on body-worn video, but a second statement in 2022 said he could not remember if a camera had been activated.
The barrister showed the jury a statement from another police officer indicating Noah's school books were observed in the flat "beside clothing on the bedroom floor." She noted that body-worn footage could have helped identify what clothing was present.
Connection to Public Appeals and Anonymous Tip
Ms Campbell also drew attention to police public appeals for information during Noah's disappearance, which mentioned his missing green coat. She stated an anonymous call to police following these appeals led to the search of Paul's flat.
She said: "The one thing you came away without, which is of interest to us, was the green North Face coat." The officer confirmed this was correct. Ms Campbell suggested: "That is because, I am going to suggest, you were never asked to look for it?" The constable responded: "I can't recall the full details of what we were told."
Coroner Mr Justice Rooney asked the officer: "Knowing you are going to arrest someone, would you not have put your body-worn videos on?" Mr Wharry said: "I would only put it on if somebody is there."
Counsel for the PSNI Donal Lunny asked if there was an "element of discretion" for officers at the time about when they turned their cameras on. The constable confirmed: "There was, the system has changed since then."
The inquest will resume on Monday.
