Noah Donohoe inquest adjourned after jury deadlocked over 10 questions

Belfast Coroner's Court has adjourned the inquest into 14-year-old Noah Donohoe's death after jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict after 24 hours of deliberations.

Belfast inquest adjourned as jurors run out of time to reach unanimous findings

The inquest into the death of Belfast schoolboy Noah Donohoe has been adjourned in what the presiding judge called an "unprecedented" move, TheJournal.ie reports.

Mr Justice Rooney made the decision at Belfast Coroner's Court after the jury of eight men and two women deliberated for nearly 24 hours across three days without reaching a unanimous verdict on any of the 10 questions before them.

The questions included establishing the date of Noah's death and whether errors made by police contributed to it.

The adjournment came during a late-night sitting that ran until 00.50 on Friday, after it emerged that several jurors would not be available to continue the deliberations. Mr Justice Rooney described the situation as "unprecedented" and paid tribute to the jury's dedication, noting they had "run out of time" — adding: "That is the problem."

He has warned jurors that they remain technically in deliberations and that the inquest will resume later in the year, potentially in August or September, when all members are available again.

Background

Noah Donohoe was 14 years old when his naked body was found in an underground water tunnel in north Belfast in June 2020, six days after he went missing. A post-mortem examination concluded that the cause of death was drowning.

The inquest opened in January and has since heard testimony from 76 witnesses, received written statements from a further 42 people, and examined maps, video footage, photographs, police logs and expert reports.

Noah's mother, Fiona, has attended every day of the proceedings.

Extraordinary sitting

Jurors were sent out to begin their deliberations at 9.46am on Thursday. They continued discussions at the Laganside Courts complex before moving to the nearby Royal Courts of Justice just before 6pm as the sitting was extended into the night.

Mr Justice Rooney noted earlier on Thursday that it was "unprecedented in my experience to have a jury sitting in court at 11.20pm," though he added there were "good reasons for it."

Before the adjournment was declared, the judge reminded jurors that their findings must be based solely on the evidence heard in court and must be reached unanimously. He also told them there was no pressure of time on their deliberations, and that all parties were prepared to remain as long as necessary for a decision to be reached.

The resumption date has not yet been confirmed.

Source: TheJournal.ie