Noah Donohoe case 'extraordinary', forensic pathologist says

A pathology expert has described the case of missing Belfast schoolboy Noah Donohoe as "one of the most extraordinary cases" he has dealt with.

Dr Nathaniel Cary, a home office-registered consultant forensic pathologist, has been giving evidence for a second day at the inquest into the 14-year-old's death.

Noah's body was found in an underground water tunnel six days after he disappeared in north Belfast in June 2020.

Prior to his disappearance, Noah had discarded his phone and rucksack and all the clothing he was wearing, as well as his trainers.

He later abandoned his bicycle on a pavement at Northwood Road in north Belfast and was seen naked and running behind houses, close to a culvert at the entrance to the tunnel.

In his assessment, Cary considered the possibility that such a case could be caused by an "acute psychotic episode" or "acute drug intoxication".

Post-mortem examination findings have recorded a negative result for the presence of any drugs in Noah's body.

Cary also indicated how, based on his experience, the presence of a drug such as "spice" could cause "mind-altering" behaviour.

He also explained how he has been aware of cases where some people who use cocaine have been known to remove their clothes and pour water over their bodies.

However, Cary accepted that he defers on these specific issues to toxicologists and psychiatrists who have more expertise in these areas of speciality.

Cary has been giving evidence at the inquest alongside Dr Majorie Turner, who conducted a post-mortem examination on Noah's body, and the former State Pathologist for Northern Ireland, Prof Jack Crane.

Turner and Crane also said they would defer to the specialised knowledge of toxicologists and psychiatrists on the drug related issues.

Commenting on a joint note in which all three witnesses agreed that there was a negative result for the presence of drugs, Turner explained that she is aware that some types of "unstable" drugs may break down in a body before a post-mortem examination.

Crane agreed with this position.

The post-mortem examination results did not show any presence of drugs in Noah's body.

The three witnesses, who have been giving evidence for a second day, agreed on a number of key elements about Noah's death.

They agreed that he was likely to have been alive when he entered the water at the storm drain, the cause of death was drowning, Noah is likely to have died closer to the time of his disappearance, and there was no sign of anyone else being involved in his death.

Turner found that Noah's death could have taken place within hours of his disappearance.

When she was questioned about this issue at the inquest on Wednesday, she repeated her belief that it is "more likely" that Noah died closer to the time of his disappearance rather than closer to the time of his body being found.

All three witnesses agreed that it is not possible to be precise about the exact time of Noah's death.

The three witnesses further agreed that there was no sign of any injury to Noah's brain.

They also agreed that if he suffered concussion from a fall, it could be possible that he drowned by falling forward into a small amount of water.

The witnesses were also asked if the absence of water samples from the scene deprived the post-mortem examination of additional information and they agreed that it could have provided additional information relating to the finding of death by drowning.

But, Turner, who conducted the post-mortem examination, emphasised that access to a water sample "would not have altered my cause of death" in relation to her examination of Noah's body.

Crane also said that following his review of Turner's post-mortem examination findings, he was satisfied that she had taken all the necessary samples, and he did not feel any additional samples were required.

He also said he did not feel it was necessary to seek a second post-mortem examination.

Crane told the coroner, Mr Justice Rooney, that the covering of Noah's body in "dark brown/black mud-like material" was possibly the result of the schoolboy's body being immersed in the material in the storm drain "for a significant period of time".

The inquest resumes on Friday.