Woman told police ‘rumour’ Noah Donohoe was injected with heroin, inquest hears

A woman who told police that Noah Donohoe had been injected with heroin or naloxone prior to his death later said this was a “rumour” and she had no information about how he disappeared, an inquest has heard.

The inquest into the death of Noah at Belfast Coroner’s Court, which is being heard with a jury, is in its 12th week.

On Wednesday, it heard evidence from a woman who was convicted of handling stolen goods in 2021 after being found to be in possession of his laptop at her accommodation near the Donohoe family home.

Noah, a pupil at St Malachy’s College, was 14 when his naked body was found in the storm drain tunnel in north Belfast in June 2020, six days after he left home on his bike to meet two friends in the Cavehill area of the city.

A post-mortem examination found the cause of death was drowning.

The inquest was previously told there was no toxicological evidence he was under the influence of drugs at the time of his death but it could not be stated with absolute certainty.

On Wednesday, the jury heard evidence from Maria Nolan about she came into possession of Noah’s laptop, as well as statements she had provided to police in the past.

Ms Nolan told the inquest that a man she knew, Daryl Paul, told her that he had a laptop that he could sell at Cash Converters to raise money to buy drugs on June 24 2020.

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

She said she did not know about Noah or his disappearance at the time and believed the laptop was owned by Mr Paul, whom she accompanied.

The inquest heard Cash Converters would not accept the laptop without a charger, and the store later raised suspicions about the computer with police.

Ms Nolan had taken possession of the laptop after the encounter when she parted ways with Mr Paul, who was later arrested by police.

Police then found the laptop in Ms Nolan’s room at Queen’s Quarter Housing on University Street, which is across the road from the Donohoe home.

Mr Paul, who the jury was told was regularly outside Queen’s Quarter Housing, was also convicted in relation to Noah’s stolen laptop.

Ms Nolan said she would describe Mr Paul as a friend and told the inquest they were not boyfriend and girlfriend.

Brenda Campbell KC, for Noah’s mother Fiona, said her client had found it very disconcerting that the laptop had ended up in the possession of people who were so nearby.

Previous statements and records of police interviews with the witness were read to the jury by counsel to the coroner Peter Coll KC.

In one of those statements which she had prepared following consultation with the Donohoe family’s legal team, Ms Nolan said she was aware of “how Noah was injected with heroin or naloxone as he travelled through” Belfast city centre.

She said that she had previously seen addicts targeting vulnerable or elderly people and robbing them and that “this is what happened to Noah”.

She said that she had spoken to people in a “tight-knit” addict community where it had been mentioned that Noah had been injected with heroin or naloxone, and that a secret of this nature would be openly confided within this group.

However, in a later police interview as well as a statement directly to the inquest and her evidence in front of the jury, Ms Nolan said she did not know this to be fact.

She said she did not write the statement and felt under pressure to sign it, adding that she thought she was helping the family.

She said she never wanted to put forward that she knew for a fact what happened.

She said the only thing she had information on was the laptop, adding: “I don’t know nothing else.”

Ms Nolan also said she saw a green coat, with characteristics similar to Noah’s, in Mr Paul’s home at the time he picked up the laptop to sell it.

However, she reiterated she did not know about Noah or his missing items at the time.

Ms Nolan said she had first heard the rumour of Noah being injected when she was assaulted by a woman in August who asked if she had “done it”.

She also said the she had not seen Noah be robbed or attacked or heard anyone make any confessions to that effect.

Ms Noah said she had never seen someone inject or threaten to inject someone with heroin, but it was a fear she had herself.

She told police no one had put pressure on her to make her statements.

In a later statement to the inquest, Ms Nolan said she never met or knew Noah and did not know how he died.

“I have heard rumours and speculation like many people have but the reality is I do not know if there is any truth to these rumours.”

She later added: “I don’t know what happened to Noah.”

Under questioning from Ms Campbell, Ms Nolan said police came to seize the laptop from her accommodation the night or two nights after she came to have it.

The witness said the police had not asked her about Noah, about how he was still missing, or his other missing items at the time.

She said they had told her she had a laptop to do with a “high-profile case” but did not ask how she got it, nor mention Noah’s name.

She said she was confused about the situation and found out the connection later on, and made attempts to contact police “to see what was going on”.

However, she said she had problems with her memory due to drug use at the time.

Asked by Donal Lunny KC, for the PSNI, if it would have meant anything to her if police had mentioned Noah’s name, she said she would not have known what they were talking about.

Also asked by Ms Campbell about evidence relating to another witness who said Ms Nolan had previously been in Noah’s company, she disputed this and said she had never met the boy.

Ms Nolan said she had previously been “hammered” by the press and public, adding she was “horrified” that the laptop belonged to Noah.

She said she had been threatened, physically assaulted, and abused over the matter.

She said she was now clean from drugs and attending counselling.

“I feel desperately sad for Noah’s mummy, I hope she gets answers.”

The inquest will resume on Thursday.