Noah Donohoe was searching biblical sites before disappearance, inquest hears

Noah Donohoe had been searching biblical related sites before he disappeared, the inquest into his death has heard.

The inquest has been hearing from a digital expert who examined Noah's communication and social media accounts and activities.

The 14-year-old's body was found in an underground water tunnel six days after he disappeared in north Belfast almost six years ago.

A barrister for the coroner outlined how the findings of Simon Young showed that Noah had been searching for biblical terms which included references to the bible online and what does Cain say to Abel.

The inquest heard that searching had been taking place in the early hours of the morning.

Other searches conducted by Noah on the day he went missing referred to Christianity, how to reject Satan, and how to repent.

Commenting on other searches the witness agreed with the barrister that they were "nothing above teenage curiosity".

Simon Young concluded that he did not consider Noah's interactions and searching activities to be a matter for any concern, describing much of it as "normal teenage behaviour with friends".

He agreed with the barrister that other searches by Noah reflected his interest in studying and his academic abilities and interests.

The inquest also heard about "a series of coincidences" involving a man who was jailed for stealing Noah's missing laptop.

Daryl Paul is currently in prison for an issue unrelated to the Noah Donohoe case.

A barrister for the Donohoe family said Noah's mother is anxious to know when Paul has lied and when he has told the truth about his actions on the day Noah disappeared.

Paul found the laptop on the evening of Noah's disappearance, and he subsequently pleaded guilty to stealing a rucksack containing the laptop and schoolbooks.

The inquest has already heard that CCTV evidence demonstrates that Paul could not have had any physical interaction with Noah in the time around his disappearance in north Belfast.

However, during Paul's second day on the witness stand at the inquest, the family barrister focused on events outside social housing on University Street in south Belfast shortly after Noah left his nearby home on the day he went missing.

As he cycled past Queens Quarter Housing, Paul was standing on the street.

A recording of CCTV footage played at the inquest showed Noah cycling past Paul but there was no interaction between them.

Later that evening, Paul had walked to the other side of the city on his way back to his flat off the Antrim Road.

Paul was also asked about police evidence surrounding CCTV footage from the same area which showed him leaving the area for several minutes on a number of occasions across a two-hour period before Noah cycled off from his nearby home.

Paul explained that he could not remember where he was going or what he was doing at these times, but he thought he may have been going off "to smoke a joint".

He also insisted: "I never ever set eyes on Noah."

The witness was also asked about a mystery surrounding Noah in the early hours of the day of his disappearance when he left his home in the middle of the night and returned about half an hour later.

There has never been any explanation about why Noah left his home at this time or about his intended destination.

Paul was asked if he was in the Holylands area around that time and he replied: "I had a curfew."

The inquest has heard that Paul was wearing an electronic security tag at the time.

Noah had been wearing flip flops when he left his home that morning, but he was not wearing them when he returned, and when he was asked if he knew anything about this.

Paul replied: "If I did, I'd be the first person to tell you. I have a heart".

The lawyer then explained that Noah had a rucksack on his back at the time and told Paul that "within an hour" Paul was in possession of the rucksack on the other side of the city.

The witness replied: "That's correct."

The barrister then explained how, a few days later, Noah's laptop was back in south Belfast, inside Queens Quarter Housing.

The lawyer said the inquest needed to know if this was "a series of coincidences" or if there was reason for more concern.

Paul was then questioned about where he found the laptop on the evening of Noah's disappearance.

He told the inquest he found it alongside Ulster University, but CCTV footage revealed that Noah was still wearing the rucksack on his back for some distance beyond the college.

The witness was told that he couldn't have found it at the location he identified "because he (Noah) didn't drop it there".

Paul replied: "I can only tell you where I found it."

He added: "I found it in the walkway."

He also denied on a number of occasions that he had possession of a coat which Noah was wearing on the day of his disappearance, and which has never been found.

The witness responded to questions about Noah's phone which was found in a play park along the route of Noah's final journey in north Belfast.

The barrister explained that the phone subsequently contained what's understood to be "an accidental photo" of part of a hand.

The photo was taken within an hour of Noah's disappearance.

The family barrister asked: "Is that your hand?"

Daryl Paul replied: "No, it's not my hand."

The lawyer explained that Noah's mother Fiona made numerous efforts to ring her son in the hour after his last sighting to check on his whereabouts, as well as sending a text message.

If someone has answered the phone, the barrister said, Fiona Donohoe "would have known that her boy was in trouble".

She then asked Paul if he had the phone at that time.

He replied: "No, I didn't."