Noah Donohoe inquest hears from woman who tried to sell his laptop

The jury at the Noah Donohoe inquest has heard from a woman who tried to sell his laptop in the days following his disappearance.

Maria Nolan, who was convicted of handling stolen goods, was filmed on CCTV in June 2020 trying to trade the computer in at a Belfast Cash Converters alongside her accomplice, Daryl Paul.

Nolan, a recovering drug addict, told the inquest she has no knowledge about the schoolboy being injected with drugs before his disappearance and death.

She had previously told police she had been told that the teenager had been injected with heroin by someone within the homeless community, but later said this was a "rumour" and she had no information about how he disappeared.

The 14-year-old's body was discovered six days after his disappearance in North Belfast in June 2020

No evidence has ever emerged that Noah was injected with drugs before his disappearance.

The witness had been staying at a hostel close to Noah's home in South Belfast around the time of his disappearance, but she has now insisted that she has no information about what happened to Noah.

Nolan was convicted in 2022 of handling stolen goods after she tried to pawn a stolen laptop which belonged to Noah.

The schoolboy was still missing at the time.

In a separate case, Paul pleaded guilty to stealing a rucksack containing Noah's laptop and schoolbooks on the day of the 14-year-old boy's disappearance.

The rucksack had been discarded by Noah while he cycled from the direction of Belfast city centre to the Northwood Road area of North Belfast where he disappeared in June 2020.

The court cases against both Nolan and Paul were specific to Noah Donohoe's stolen belongings and were not connected in any way to any other issue relating to the mysterious disappearance and death of the St Malachy's College schoolboy.

On Wednesday, the inquest jury heard evidence from Nolan about how she came into possession of Noah's laptop.

She told the inquest that Paul told her he had a laptop that he could sell to raise money to buy drugs.

The laptop was Noah's, and was part of several items that had gone missing – including his backpack and coat.

Nolan also told the inquest today that she felt under pressure to sign a statement in which she claimed to have information about what happened to the schoolboy.

The inquest heard that she attended a number of meetings with her own solicitor and a solicitor representing Noah Donohoe's family after his disappearance and death.

Members of her own family and an aunt of Noah also attended the meetings.

Nolan subsequently signed a statement in which it was stated that she had information about what happened to Noah, and it required further examination by the police.

But she told the inquest on Wednesday that she did not write the statement, and it contained wording that she would not have used.

She said, "I have no further information".

"I don't know what happened to Noah," she added.

She also explained why she signed the statement following the joint meetings with her own legal team and relatives, and the Donohoe legal team and an aunt of the schoolboy.

"I signed the statement because I felt under pressure," she said.

She also said she felt "scared" at the time because of abuse she was subjected to in the community.

She repeated, "I don't know anything about Noah's disappearance and death".

The witness also explained that she had no first-hand information about the case and was only aware of rumours and speculation within the homeless and drug addict community following the boy's disappearance and death.

She said she has a history of "long-standing issues" with addiction.

In her statement to the inquest, Nolan explained that an aunt of Noah Donohoe contacted her (Nolan's) mother and they agreed to go to a meeting with the Donohoe family solicitor and a relative.

She said she felt under pressure because of "all the hate" that had been directed at her by people in the drug addiction and homeless community as well as members of the public.

Nolan said she has been "clean" of her addiction since November of last year and she is "terrified" that her appearance at the inquest will cause "more hate towards me".

She added, "I feel desperately sad for Noah's mummy. I hope she gets answers."

The inquest continues.