Belfast Coroner’s Court heard evidence from engineering experts about the culvert on Friday afternoon as the inquest into the death of the schoolboy finished its 12th week.
Fiona Donohoe (centre), the mother of 14-year-old Noah Donohoe, outside Belfast Coroner’s Court(Image: Mark Marlow/PA Wire)
It is “most likely” that Noah Donohoe entered a water tunnel through the bars of a culvert entrance close to where he was last seen, an inquest into his death has heard.
Belfast Coroner’s Court heard evidence from engineering experts about the culvert on Friday afternoon as the inquest into the death of the schoolboy finished its 12th week.
Noah, a pupil at St Malachy’s College, was 14 when his naked body was found in a water tunnel in north Belfast on June 27 2020, six days after leaving home on his bike to meet two friends in the Cavehill area of the city.
A post-mortem examination found the likely cause of death was drowning.
The court heard evidence from civil engineer Brian Pope and expert in risk assessment Dr Mark Cooper on Friday.
They were among a group of four experts who had had their joint responses to a series of questions read to the inquest earlier in the month.
They were questioned by counsel for the coroner Peter Coll KC about the culvert entrance close to homes on Premier Drive and Northwood Road in north Belfast.
The culvert leads to a tunnel network in which Noah’s body was found.
Mr Coll said the experts had concluded in their joint response Noah was most likely to have entered the culvert through the grille in Northwood Linear Park.
Mr Pope told the jury: “I felt that it was most likely that access was gained between the bars.
“There was approximately 180 millimetres gap, which is adequate for a larger child or a young person to squeeze through.
“So, geometrically, I felt that that was the most likely.
“Manholes are very difficult to lift and need special keys.
“So, I felt that the at the inlet was the most likely point, there is a hatch above that wasn’t locked.”
Mr Pope said he did not believe the tunnel outlet at Belfast Lough was a possible entry point.
He said: “It’s in a tidal situation and not easily seen. It would not be an attractive way to enter the culvert.”
Dr Cooper said he had been shown a photograph of an adult squeezing through the bars at the culvert entrance.
He said: “I just thought that that was very persuasive.”
Mr Pope told the jury that the normal way for someone to have moved along the tunnel would have been “crouching or crawling”.
Asked about access to the area where the culvert was, Mr Pope said he believed it was prevented for the majority of people due to “substantial” fencing.
However, Dr Cooper said it was a “mixed picture” over public access, pointing out there was no fencing at the rear of houses close to the park.
Mr Coll said the joint response provided to the inquest by the experts said the culvert would have created the conditions for drowning.
Mr Pope said: “I think with the climatic conditions, the cold, the darkness, potential confusion.
“I’m an engineer, I understand pipework, but if you were not au fait with that, it would be a very confusing situation.”
Mr Coll said there would be a difference between an experienced Department for Infrastructure (DFI) operative in protective clothing entering the tunnel compared to a member of the public.
Mr Pope said: “It would be a completely different scenario, compared to being in the dark tunnel and by yourself.”
Barrister for the DFI Neasa Murnaghan KC asked the two experts to confirm there was a difference between a security screen over a culvert and a debris screen, which has more space between the bars.
Both witnesses agreed.
Earlier, Mr Coll read agreed facts and a statement from witness C4, who said he had no interaction with Noah on June 21 2020 and “had nothing to do” with his disappearance.
C4’s statement also said that he had no knowledge of speculation that Noah had been injected with drugs.
Mr Coll said C4 had previously been given properly interested person (PIP) status at the inquest, but based on the agreed facts he was not required to attend to give evidence and his PIP status was being withdrawn.
The inquest will resume on Monday.
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