Fiona Donohoe, the mother of tragic Belfast schoolboy, Noah Donohoe, has appealed for transparency in the investigation into her son’s death.
She says that the PSNI have requested a public-interest immunity (PII) certificate from court which would block full information disclosure in the case. In December, the PSNI defended its bid to withhold information from the Noah Donohoe inquest – which was set to take place on 10th January, but was delayed after his family raised concerns about the timescale.
Speaking on the ‘Anything Goes’ podcast with James English over the weekend, Ms Donohoe called for all police files relating to the investigation into the death of her son to be released in full. She also said she was speaking on the podcast interview to appeal to witnesses to come forward with any information – even something that might seem insignificant – to piece together the puzzle that remains unsolved almost two years after her son’s death.
14-year-old Noah, who was a pupil at St Malachy’s College in Belfast, was found dead in a storm drain in north Belfast in June 2020, six days after he went missing from his home in the holylands area of the city after cycling to meet up with friends. As reported by Gript, many unanswered questions remain around the youngster’s tragic death.
Noah’s devoted mother says she believes that the investigation into her son’s disappearance on 21st June 2020 has been ‘botched’ from the start – and in the interview, Ms Donohoe said she feels that there was “more than incompetence involved” in the handling of the case.
This relates to aspects such as the lack of forensics carried out in the investigation, Ms Donohoe claims. She told English that a reconstruction has never been done by police – something the family is now pushing for – and added that a water sample which was requested by the pathologist shortly after Noah’s death (and believed to be crucial to determine if Noah did die in the storm drain where he was found) was never carried out.
She believes that it is in the interests of the safety of other children and families, and in the interest of the public, that justice is finally secured for Noah, who she describes as a ‘beautiful soul’.
Ms Donohoe said that, aside from appealing for witnesses to come forward, she is speaking up because all files relating to Noah’s disappearance must be released by the PSNI. The files have not yet been released and the police have requested a public-interest immunity (PII) certificate from court which would block full information disclosure in the case.
A public-interest immunity is a principle under which courts can grant a court order allowing one litigant to refrain from disclosing evidence to the other litigants where disclosure would be damaging to the public interest. This is an exception to the usual rule that all parties in litigation must disclose any evidence that is relevant to the proceedings.
PII orders have previously been used in criminal law against large organised criminal outfits and drug dealers where the identity of paid police informants could be at risk.
Making a fresh appeal for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to release all the files relating to the investigation, Ms Donohoe told podcast host James English: “We will never be able to get justice if we don’t get the information.” She said she believes pressure needs to be put on the Secretary of State, who will make the decision whether or not to release the files relating to the investigation in full.
“I will not let this happen,” the much-loved school boy’s mother said of the possibility of the police obtaining a PII certificate, adding: “We won’t be able to get justice for my baby if we don’t get all the information.”
The distraught mother continued: “I believe somebody harmed my baby. I just don’t want to think about it.” She fears those who may have harmed Noah “are still out there” almost two years on from Noah’s death.
The interview has received an enormous response online since it was uploaded to YouTube on Sunday, receiving 50,000 views in 12 hours of being uploaded to YouTube alone – with dozens of comments expressing gratitude that the grieving mother has been given a voice. Fiona Donohoe herself believes that there has been a ‘media blackout’ in the wake of the disappearance and death of her son – despite the fact the circumstances of Noah’s tragic death are still shrouded in mystery.
“The media are not giving Noah a voice, and Noah’s voice deserves to be heard,” Ms Donohue said in the interview, adding that she believes the media have not been willing to ‘take [the case] on’. “I’m just absolutely disgusted at the media,” she said.
“It has been a “media blackout,” the grieving mother added.
She believes the reason the media in the North do not want to give exposure to the case is at least in part because acknowledging a potential sectarian motive surrounding the death of the Catholic schoolboy, whose body was found in the Northwood road area of the city, would cause societal uproar. It is an area described by Ms Donohoe as a ‘loyalist stronghold’, and she believes any reporting focusing this factor would cause unrest and so is being avoided.
“It would cause social unrest,” Ms Donohoe said, explaining why she feels the disappearance and death of her son has not received extensive and continued coverage as questions remain for Noah’s loved ones. The family have consequently started up their own social media platforms to raise public awareness. Those supporting Noah’s heart-broken family in their quest for answers are known as ‘Noah’s army’ and often use the hashtag ‘#RememberMyNoah’ in their campaign to seek full closure on the tragedy.
Ms Donohoe claims the PSNI failed to investigate Noah’s death properly, and she maintains this is because of the societal uproar that would be caused if a sectarian – and/or racist – motive for a possible attack on Noah (who was mixed race and a Catholic), was uncovered.
Referring to the potential for social unrest, she added: “But I think the police believe that’s what the outcome would be if the truth came out that paramilitaries were involved.”
In this weekend’s interview, Noah’s mother also questioned why £30 million was spent on overtime by the PSNI in 2020 – the year Noah disappeared – but no extra overtime was paid to search for her son. Last month, an internal PSNI review into the disappearance and death of the schoolboy revealed that police chiefs refused to pay overtime to officers assigned to the search operation for the missing boy.
Comments on Twitter reacting to the interview expressed overwhelming support for Ms Donohoe.
“Thank you for helping his mother. She needs answers. This podcast is heartbreaking, it is like a horror story,” one comment read. Another user wrote: “As a mammy, my stomach just churns at listening to this. The grief is so raw and visible. I hope she gets the answers she is looking for. Either the investigation has been completely negligent, or there’s a cover up.”
Others agreed it was “time for justice,” with the interview described as “agonising” and “devastating” to watch. Another parent said, “As a dad of 2 boys I sobbed listening to this powerful interview.”
While Ms Donohoe told English that the police believe 14-year-old Noah either died from suicide of misadventure, she disputes this. She believes this “narrative is giving police a way out” of answering the questions that remain surrounding the suspicious and devastating circumstances Noah died in.
“Noah never had any mental health problems; he was never at the doctor […] He was so healthy,” Ms Donohoe said.
She also stated that there is no explanation for how Noah could possibly have known about the storm drain where he was found, which is located at the back of houses on the Northwood Road in north Belfast. She added there was “no way” Noah went to the area he was found in intentionally and by himself.
“How did my baby know that that storm drain existed? And also know that that storm drain was unlocked?” She added: “If they [the police] prove to me that, then I will start listening, but it doesn’t make sense to me. Noah deserves the truth.”
Appealing to anyone with even the ‘smallest’ piece of information to come forward, Ms Donohoe said: “He was a beautiful child. I pray someone is brave enough to come forward […] Do the right thing, and I do understand the fear [stopping people from coming forward].”
She added: “People are afraid, don’t be afraid.”
“There’s fear in certain communities because of paramilitaries. But there are ways – we will make sure that anybody that comes forward with information is kept safe.
“If you have any belief in God, you have to come forward.
“Noah was a beautiful child. I just pray that someone’s brave enough to come forward and give information. I’m praying […] I do have faith that somebody will do the right thing, and I do understand the fear. But nothing will change if people can’t speak up.”
Paying tribute to her son, Fiona said Noah loved his friends, who were like brothers to him, and he excelled in academics and sports. He was also a gifted musician.
Speaking of their life together in Belfast, the single mother, who is from Strabane in Co Tyrone, but moved to Belfast, said the city presented many opportunities for her son: “I thought Belfast was going to be a place where Noah would have opportunities, and it was a place where he enjoyed. He had so many opportunities here.
“He went to a grammar school, St Malachy’s, which is a great school on the Antrim Road in north Belfast. He made some amazing friends; they were like brothers. I call them the band of brothers.”
Referring to Noah, whose ‘life was learning,’ Fiona added: “He excelled in school. He got 99% in his Spanish, he was just brilliant at music – he played the cello. He played basketball and rugby. Noah was just a child that any parent would be so proud to have, and I knew I was so blessed by Noah. I used to always say to him how amazing he was. He never, ever gave me any bother […] he was my soulmate; he is my soulmate.”
Remembering her ‘best friend,’ Ms Donohoe, who has vowed to continue in her search for justice for her beloved Noah, added: “Noah deserves the truth. He’s such a beautiful soul.”