No verdict as Noah Donahoe inquest adjourned

The jury at the inquest into the death of Noah Donahoe has been unable to reach a unanimous verdict.

Belfast Coroner's Court has adjourned the inquest to a future date.

It emerged that some of the jurors would be unable to reconvene tomorrow so the Coroner decided that the inquest would be adjourned until all the jurors are available.

The decision came at 12.45am after the jury had deliberated for 25 hours over three days on the evidence.

The Coroner Mr Justice Rooney said the inquest would resume when all 10 jurors are available.

He paid tribute to the jury's dedication to the inquest, adding they had "run out of time" to reach a unanimous verdict, adding "that is the problem".

He went on to outline that he had taken the decision to adjourn the inquest until all the jurors were available again, adding a warning to jurors that they remain in deliberations until the inquest resumes later in the year, potentially in August or September.

The jury is considering the evidence into the death of the Belfast schoolboy.

They have been tasked with agreeing findings on 10 questions, including the date of Noah's death and whether any errors made by police contributed to his death.

The 14-year-old’s naked body was found in an underground water tunnel in the north of the city after having been missing for six days in June 2020.

The inquest into his death at Belfast Coroner’s Court started in January and has heard evidence from 76 witnesses, statements from a further 42 people, and involved maps, video footage, photographs, police logs and expert reports.

A post-mortem examination concluded that the cause of Noah’s death was drowning.

Noah’s mother, Fiona, has been present for every day of the inquest.

Addressing the jury of eight men and two women yesterday morning, Coroner Mr Justice Rooney reiterated that they must reach their findings based on the evidence they have seen and heard in court.

He had reminded jurors that their findings must be unanimously agreed.