The inquest has been focusing on a period where Noah was travelling on North Queen Street and fell from his bike
Noah’s mother Fiona arrives at Belfast Laganside Courts. (Image: Jonathan Porter/PressEye)
A witness has described the moment that Noah Donohoe fell from his bike as he was travelling along a road in North Belfast on the day he was reported missing.
Noah was 14 when he was found dead in a storm drain in north Belfast in June 2020, six days after leaving home on his bike to meet two friends to travel to the Cavehill area of Belfast.
On day seven of the inquest into his death, the hearing has heard from three witnesses so far who have described the moments before and after an incident where Noah fell from his bike as he was cycling along North Queen Street, approaching the junction of York Street at Grove Leisure Centre.
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Only one of the witnesses, Amanda Seenan, has said that they saw the teenager fall from his bike with this taking place as she was travelling behind him in a Black Vauxhall Corsa.
A statement that she gave to police was read to the hearing where she said she had gone for a drive with her baby daughter on the evening of June 21, 2020, when she saw a male cyclist ahead of her on North Queen Street in Belfast.
She said: “He was to my left, I noticed the male took a tumble off his bike.
“He was just approaching the bus layby when he fell.
“The bike went with him when he fell.
“I slowed down as I was about to come to the end of the road and see if the male was okay.
“I could see, though, that the male had jumped up and got onto his bike again.
“He got up pretty quick and pedalled away along the bus layby.”
Ms Seenan said she saw a green coat had been left lying on the road.
Ms Seenan has told the hearing that following this incident, she did not believe that Noah had been badly injured by the fall, although he had appeared to “go over his handlebars” with his bike “landing on him”.
The first witness to take the stand at the hearing today, Sinead Quinn, told the hearing that she saw Noah in the moments after he had fallen from his bike, but did not see the fall itself.
She said she saw a green coat on the road after the incident and sounded her horn in order to alert Noah to it, but he continued cycling.
She said: “I beeped the horn to point this out to him.
“He looked startled, he didn’t lift the coat, but just cycled on, which I thought was strange.”
The second witness to take the stand, Nathan Montgomery, told the hearing that he had seen Noah cycle past his car on North Queen Street as he was leaving a Chinese takeaway. As he travelled in a red Audi toward the Seaview area to return home, he saw Noah again cycling in the direction of the York Road junction.
Mr Montgomery said that while driving behind Noah, he had seen him “sway slightly” in the road which made him wary about passing him in his car and took additional care. He then did so close to Jennymount Methodist Church and did not see the incident where Noah had fallen from his bike.
The hearing continues.
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