Inquest into death of Noah Donohoe adjourned until later this year

The inquest into the death of Belfast teenager Noah Donohoe has been adjourned until later this year following “unprecedented” jury deliberations over three days. Coroner Kevin Rooney told jurors they were in “totally unchartered waters” as the court sat until 12.50am on Friday. “I’m not going to allow myself to be rushed or you to be rushed into a decision. If I were to ask you now to come back with a verdict, that would be totally wrong,” he said. “You are all exhausted.” The development 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. Addressing the jury of eight men and two women, Rooney paid tribute to their “total dedication” to the inquest. Given the “lateness of the hour” and the fact that four jurors are going on holidays between Friday and Saturday, it wouldn’t be right to force them to reach a verdict, he said. “We’re now unbelievably at 12.40am, this is totally unprecedented,” he said. “My decision is to adjourn the inquest until you’re all available again.” It could be August or September before the hearing resumes, the court heard. Fiona Donohoe, the mother of 14-year-old Noah Donohoe, arrives at Belfast Coroner's Court on Thursday for the inquest into the death of her son. Photograph: Mark Marlow/PA Wire Ten questions have been presented to jurors on which they must reach a unanimous verdict. Among the questions they must consider is the date of Noah’s death and whether any errors made . Deliberations so far have lasted 24 hours, beginning on Tuesday morning and ending late on Thursday night. “It seems to me and for all concerned that we get this right. It is unprecedented to allow a jury to remain in deliberations for such a long period of time,” Rooney said. The hearing was moved from Laganside court complex to the Royal Courts of Justice shortly before 6pm on Thursday to accommodate the late night sitting, Noah’s mother, Fiona Donohe, sat at the back of the court until the hearing concluded. She 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.