Woman found Noah Donohoe’s cracked mobile phone in grassy verge days before the 14-year-old was found dead in storm drain, inquest hears

The inquest heard a woman found Noah Donohoe’s phone on the side of a grassy path before the missing student was found dead in the sewers.

Noah, who loved music and reading, disappeared on June 21, 2020, after leaving his home in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on his bike to meet friends.

The 14-year-old boy was last seen walking naked towards Northwood Road in the north of the city around 6pm. His body was found six days later 600 meters down the M2 motorway.

Adelaide Armstrong told Belfast Coroner’s Court that she was walking in Castleton Park on June 22, 2020 when she saw a black mobile phone in a grassy area.

He said: ‘I checked, saw the phone was switched off and took it home to charge it and see if I could contact the owner.’

She said when she later answered the phone, she saw a message from the police asking Noah to contact them.

Ms Armstrong said she also tried to use the device to call missing student mother Fiona Donohoe after seeing missed calls on the phone from a number listed as ‘Mother’.

He said: ‘I think I tried calling that number first and that’s exactly what I was looking for. Then I saw another number and tried to call it, it was the police.’

The witness also said he tried to make a call using his phone after seeing missed calls from the missing student’s mother, Fiona Donohoe.

Ms Armstrong added that she remembered the phone’s screen was broken and that it might have been thrown into the park because it was found near the park railings.

An officer from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) told the inquest that he went to Noah Donohoe’s home in Belfast and met his mother on the evening the schoolboy went missing in 2020.

The officer, who was a police officer at the time, said he was notified of a missing person investigation on the evening of June 21, 2020.

He told Belfast Coroner’s Court that he spoke to Fiona on the phone and then went to her home address in south Belfast.

Reading his statement about Noah’s disappearance, the officer said: ‘It was also noted that such behavior was completely out of character for the missing person and that he was usually at home well before 10pm.

‘He had no access to cash or a vehicle other than his bike.’

He said Mrs Donohoe had told him her son had been very emotional earlier in the day.

The inquest into the teenager’s death is now in its third week at Belfast Coroner’s Court and Noah’s mother Fiona Donohoe has attended every day of the hearings.

Still from CCTV footage showing Noah cycling along York Road in Belfast on the day he disappeared

On Monday, the court heard from residents of Northwood Road, close to the sewer and the spot where the teenager was last seen.

One witness said he was visiting a relative there the evening Noah disappeared, and as he was leaving, he saw a black bike lying on its side on the path.

He said that when he finished his work the next day, he noticed a black helmet on the street and informed the police after seeing a post about a missing child on social media. He told the inquest he did not see Noah in the area.

Last week, the inquest heard from Noah’s friends and witnesses who saw the 14-year-old riding on his bike.

One witness described seeing Noah cycling naked on Northwood Road before he disappeared, while another said he found his bike in front of his house.

The investigation continues.