Summary

  1. Fiona thanks jury and coronerpublished at 16:41 BST

    Fiona's statement finishes with her thanking the jury for their "dedication", the coroner, for his "compassion" and Noah's friends for attending the inquest.

  2. 'Noah deserved better'published at 16:36 BST

    The statement continues: "Answers of 'I don't know and I can't recall' permeated the evidence heard at this inquest.

    "It's easy to say you don't know when you failed to find out."

    It adds that the evidence the jury heard revealed an "inventory of repeated failings" by the DfI and PSNI.

    "Noah deserved better," Fiona says.

  3. 'Sought to blame Noah'published at 16:31 BST

    Niall Murphy has short grey hair and is wearing a navy suit over a white shirt and purple tie. He is standing in front of the Laganside Court building.
    Image caption,

    Niall Murphy is Fiona Donohoe's solicitor

    Fiona's statement says to deflect from their own failings, the PSNI and DfI had "sought to blame Noah".

    She adds that the inquest has exposed a "culture of institutional defensiveness" in the heart of those public bodies.

    Fiona says she will never accept that Noah's death did not merit a "full and fearless" investigation.

  4. 'Noah was failed' - Fiona Donohoepublished at 16:29 BST

    Niall Murphy is now reading a statement on behalf of Fiona Donohoe.

    It says Noah was Fiona's "greatest gift" and that he should still be here.

    It adds Fiona "came seeking answers" and she leaves with "one clear answer".

    "Noah was failed," by the DfI and PSNI the statement says.

  5. Fiona Donohoe's solicitor to read prepared statementpublished at 16:23 BST

    Noah's mother, Fiona Donohoe, has left the court.

    Her solicitor Niall Murphy will now read a prepared statement to the media.

    Stay with us as we bring it to you.

  6. Many mysteries remain about Noah's deathpublished at 16:15 BST

    Kevin Sharkey
    BBC News NI

    It's been more than six years since teenager Noah Donohoe was found dead 600m into a freezing underground water tunnel in Belfast.

    His death – and the speculation over what happened to him in the week between his daylight disappearance and the discovery of his body – became a huge news story that provoked countless unanswered questions.

    Now, after an inquest and months of exhaustive hearings and long deliberations by a jury, there is a verdict – but much is still unknown about what happened to Noah.

    Why, the night before he disappeared, did he leave his home in the middle of the rain-soaked night? Where did he go? Why did he come back 34 minutes later, as documented by CCTV, barefoot?

    Read more here.

  7. Further CCTV released of Noah's final journeypublished at 16:02 BST

    Video showing Noah's final journey from the Ormeau Road to Northwood Drive has been released by the coroner.

    It shows him cycling through through the city centre and along York Road before turning into Northwood Drive off the Shore Road.

    Media caption,

    CCTV released shows Noah's final journey

  8. Question 10 - any other errors identifiedpublished at 15:46 BST

    Gráinne Connolly
    BBC News NI

    In question 10, the jury was asked if there were any other factors which had not been mentioned and did not cause or contribute to Noah's death, but did impact the ability of the inquest to reach a conclusion on aspects relevant to his death.

    The jury said yes and identified 13 of these, related to the PSNI and the DfI.

  9. Question nine - the PSNI's responsepublished at 15:35 BST

    Gráinne Connolly
    BBC News NI

    Question nine was also split into two parts.

    It asked if it was probable or possible that any error of the Police Service for Northern Ireland in its response to the report that Noah was missing more than minimally, negligibly or trivially contributed to his death.

    The jury answered no to both parts, with their reasoning being the time of Noah's death.

  10. Question eight - the DFI's management of the culvertpublished at 15:32 BST

    Gráinne Connolly
    BBC News NI

    Question eight asked about the Department for Infrastructure's management of the culvert and it was split into two parts.

    In question eight 8A, the jury was asked if it was probable that any error of the Department for Infrastructure in its management of access to the culvert more than minimally, negligibly or trivially contributed to Noah's death.

    They said no.

    In question 8B, the jury was asked if it was possible that any error of the Department for Infrastructure in its management of access to the culvert more than minimally, negligibly or trivially contributed to his death.

    The jury said yes.

    They said the department erred in the management of the culvert and by not identifying the area around the entrance as a location the public could possibly access. There were no warnings around the entrance.

  11. Question six and seven - when and where Noah's death occurredpublished at 15:23 BST

    Gráinne Connolly
    BBC News NI

    In question six the jury was asked to determine the time and date of Noah's death. They were allowed to give a time range.

    They said he died between 19:00 and midnight on Sunday 21 June 2020.

    In question seven they were asked where he died.

    They found it happened in the lower reaches of the Premier Drive culvert.

  12. Question five - why Noah behaved the way he didpublished at 15:20 BST

    Gráinne Connolly
    BBC News NI

    Question five asked the jury to explain why Noah behaved the way he did after he left his house on 21 June.

    There were a number of things which the coroner told them they were not able to include in their findings.

    These were: That he was under the influence of drugs, that he was assaulted by anyone after he left his house, that a third party was responsible for his death, that he was going through a psychotic episode, that he was a victim of child exploitation or that he took his own life.

    The jury ultimately said the evidence was insufficient to reach a conclusion.

  13. Questions three and four - the cause of death and what happened after Noah left homepublished at 15:13 BST

    Gráinne Connolly
    BBC News NI

    Question three asked the jury what the medical cause of Noah's death was.

    They found that he had drowned.

    Question four asked what Noah did after he left his house.

    The jury found that after Noah left his home on his bike on Sunday 21 June 2020 he cycled on University Street and along the Ormeau Road before travelling through the city at a normal pace for a 14-year-old boy.

    During this he became separated from his backpack.

    From Cityside he travelled along North Queen Street past Castleton Park where his phone was later found.

    He then fell from his bike and while he continued along his journey he lost his green coat.

    Noah then went onto Northwood Crescent where he removed his black helmet, and then onto Northwood Road where he removed his clothing.

    From there, the jury found, Noah entered the culvert from the rear.

  14. Question two - a summary of how Noah's death occurredpublished at 15:04 BST

    Gráinne Connolly
    BBC News NI

    Question two asked the jury to summarise the scenario in which Noah's death occurred.

    The jury said Noah left his home at about 17:40 BST on 21 June 2020 on his bike with his backpack containing his laptop, schoolbook and the Jordan Peterson book 12 Rules for Life.

    After not contacting home he was reported missing by his mum at about 21:45 on 21 June 2020 and was identified as a high-risk missing person on 22 June.

    A large scale search operation began and involving the PSNI and public.

    His bike and clothing were then found outside Northwood Road in the city.

    Enquirires identified CCTV showing his journey from the Ormeau Road, through the city centre and then to Northwood Road where he was seen discarding his bike.

    Eye witnesses saw him falling off his bike on York Road/Queen street and his phone was found by a member of the public.

    Police also recovered his backpack, which he became separated from on the junction of York Street and Cityside.

    Some of his items such as his green coat have never been recovered.

    Noah was found in a tunnel at 10:40 on 27 June, where he was declared dead.

    Further enquiries identified footage of Noah leaving his home 03:34 and returning at 04:08 on Sunday 21 June 2020.

  15. The jury's answerspublished at 14:54 BST

    As we reported below, the jury had to answer 10 questions in coming to their findings.

    The first of those questions was a formality - stating what Noah's full name was.

    We'll now run through their answers to the other nine questions.

  16. Verdict delivered by coronerpublished at 14:37 BST
    Breaking

    Kevin Sharkey
    BBC News NI

    The coroner has started delivering the verdict.

    He says the jury found Stormont's Department for Infrastructure (DfI) "erred" in its maintenance of a culvert entrance close to where Noah Donohoe was last seen alive.

    The jury found that the DfI failed to identify a hazard at the site and there was no warning sign.

    The jury also found that neither the DfI nor PSNI contributed in any way to the schoolboy's death.

    However, as well as the finding against the DfI, the jury listed 13 failings by the PSNI during the police investigation.

    The nine jury members, who had 10 questions to answer, returned their verdict today at the end of an inquest which began in January.

  17. Awaiting coroner's return to courtpublished at 14:13 BST

    As we reported earlier, we have been told the jury has reached unanimous findings.

    The coroner is now considering those findings before he enters the court to deliver the verdict.

    We are not sure how much longer that will take, but we will keep you updated as soon as the coroner returns.

  18. Why did the inquest examine a culvert?published at 14:01 BST

    Noah’s body was found more than 600m inside an underground tunnel known as a culvert - a structure designed to carry water beneath roads, railways or embankments.

    The culvert, beside the M2, near Crusaders Football Club and a Northern Ireland Railways depot - became a major focus of the inquest.

    Jurors visited the site and heard evidence from residents, search and rescue workers, police, Department for Infrastructure officials and experts about the tunnel and the surrounding area.

    A significant part of the inquest centred on whether there were safety issues at the entrance, including the type of screen covering it.

    The jury heard evidence about whether Noah could have entered through gaps in the debris screen and whether a more secure barrier should have been in place.

  19. Why has the inquest taken so long?published at 13:46 BST

    The jury heard evidence from 76 witnesses who took the stand in court or by video link, while a further 42 witness statements were read out in court.

    There were 62 days of evidence across a five-month period, beginning at the end of January.

    A range of people gave statements including:

    • Barristers
    • Community Rescue Service
    • Digital expert
    • Doctors
    • Engineers
    • Former Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers and detectives
    • Forensic video analyst
    • Former manager of a funeral directors
    • Health and safety experts
    • Nurses
    • Psychologist
    • Psychiatrist
    • Professor
    • Pathologists
    • PSNI officers and inspectors
    • Senior Stormont officials
    • Toxicology expert
  20. What do we know about Noah's disappearance?published at 13:35 BST

    Noah had been missing for almost a week when he was found dead in a culvert - a type of storm drain - in north Belfast at the end of June 2020.

    Here's what we know about that week:

    • CCTV established the teenager left his home on his bicycle at 17:41 BST on 21 June
    • He travelled along the Ormeau Road towards the city centre and was on Royal Avenue at 17:50
    • At about 17:59 he was seen on CCTV and by an eyewitnesses falling from his bicycle
    • At various points on his journey, Noah appeared to discard some of his possessions including his rucksack and mobile phone
    • He travelled along York Road before turning into Skegoniell Avenue in north Belfast and then into Northwood Crescent and finally Northwood Road
    • During part of his journey through north Belfast, he was seen cycling without any clothes
    • Noah was reported missing by his mother at 21:44 that evening
    • The following evening, after a police appeal, a resident of Northwood Road contacted police to say she had found a bike matching the description of Noah's
    • On 27 June, Noah's body was found in a storm drain