The inquest into the death of Belfast schoolboy Noah Donohoe has entered its 13th week, with a man who stole the teenager's laptop denying that his hand appears in a photograph found on Noah's phone.
Daryl Paul's Testimony
Daryl Paul, of Cliftonville Avenue, told Belfast Coroner's Court that he had "never set eyes" on Noah and insisted under questioning that he had never been in possession of the boy's green coat or phone. Paul previously pleaded guilty to stealing a rucksack containing Noah's laptop and books.
Noah, a 14-year-old pupil at St Malachy's College, was found dead in a storm drain tunnel in north Belfast on June 27, 2020, six days after he left home on his bike to meet friends. A post-mortem examination indicated drowning as the likely cause of death.
Questioning by Brenda Campbell KC
Brenda Campbell KC, representing Noah's mother Fiona Donohoe, highlighted discrepancies in Paul's account. She pointed out that Paul had lied under police questioning previously and that there were aspects of his possession of Noah's belongings that "call for questions to be asked."
The jury viewed CCTV footage showing Paul in the Queen's Quarter area of Belfast, near Noah's home, on the evening the schoolboy disappeared. Paul said he was there to see a woman named Maria Nolan. When asked if he saw Noah, Paul replied, "No, never."
Further footage showed Noah cycling past Paul, wearing his green coat and carrying his rucksack. Campbell noted that within an hour, Noah's rucksack ended up in a green bag Paul was seen carrying. Paul denied any knowledge of the encounter, stating, "I have no knowledge of that wee boy passing me."
Coincidences and Phone Records
Campbell explored a series of coincidences, including Paul's presence along Noah's route and an anonymous caller's claim that Paul had Noah's green coat. Paul denied possessing the coat. When asked about a photograph of a hand on Noah's phone taken 40 minutes after he was last seen, Paul said, "No, it is not my hand."
Phone records showed that Noah's mother called her son's mobile six times on the evening he disappeared. Campbell suggested that whoever had the phone would have seen missed calls from "Mum." Paul denied having the phone or seeing the messages.
Campbell asked, "Was it you who went along North Queen Street and who chucked his phone over the railings into Castleton Park?" Paul replied, "I wasn't even there." The inquest continues.
