A 12-hour delay in searching a storm drain, despite a tip, contributed to the delayed discovery of 14-year-old Noah Donohoe’s body in Belfast.

A jury at the inquest into the death of 14-year-old Noah Donohoe, found in a storm drain in north Belfast in June 2020, heard concerns that police search efforts could have been more timely and thorough. Representing Noah’s mother, barrister Brenda Campbell KC challenged Sergeant Hutchings, the lead police search adviser, over a 12-hour delay in identifying a storm drain culvert as a search site, despite a tip about Noah’s bike the previous evening. Hutchings said he didn’t believe the tunnel was a likely location and only began searching it after identifying it on Tuesday, unaware until Friday that part of the tunnel flooded twice daily. Divers were deployed on Friday, and the body was found on Saturday during low tide. The inquest continues, with questions raised about whether earlier action might have changed the outcome.