Noah Donohoe inquest shown CCTV footage on day he disappeared

CCTV footage of the Belfast schoolboy Noah Donohoe cycling through Belfast on the day of his disappearance in 2020 has been played at an inquest into his death.

The footage, shown on Tuesday, showed him taking his bicycle out through the front door of his home at Fitzroy Avenue and cycling down the street and onwards to the main road.

He cycled alongside traffic and on footpaths as he made his way from the Lower Ormeau Road onwards to the city centre and into the Shore Road area of North Belfast.

At the conclusion of the footage, the schoolboy was naked as he cycled his bicycle.

His mother, Fiona, who sat alone on a court bench during the earlier part of the hearing, left the coroners courtroom while the footage was played.

She returned immediately afterwards.

A barrister for the coroner told the hearing that one of the captured images seemed to show Noah falling off his bicycle around the North Queen Street junction before getting back on and cycling off.

Following the CCTV footage, a witness described seeing a cyclist on the ground beside a parked car.

Donna Blain said she was driving through the area and noticed the cyclist crouched beside the parked car.

She said the person didn't appear to be injured but she thought he "looked embarrassed" about falling off his bicycle.

She said he got up to his feet very quickly and cycled off. She also said he did not pick up a green jacket on the ground.

She also said he seemed "steady enough" as he cycled off.

Earlier in the day's proceedings, a best friend of Noah told the inquest that he had no reason to have any concerns about his friend's mental health.

Charlie Rocks was part of a group of Noah's school friends at St Malachy's College on the Antrim Road in Belfast.

In a statement read into evidence at the inquest on Tuesday, Charlie Rocks said he was aware that Noah was going through a "transitional period in his mental health".

However, he said this was not unusual for a young person and he did not think it was odd in any way, explaining that he and his friends went through similar experiences.

He referenced one message from Noah some weeks before his death in which his friend indicated he was "feeling a bit blue", but Charlie Rocks stressed this was also not unusual for young people.

He said he had no reason to be concerned about Noah's mental health and he didn't think lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic "got to him".

He said: "It was clear Noah was going through something."

But he insisted that it was a "good thing" adding, "I was not concerned that he would do anything".

He also described how he praised Noah for tackling his mental health and he assured him that he was there for him if he needed to speak about any issues.

Charlie Rocks described Noah as a "best friend" who was "the smartest kid".

He also described him as "the nicest, friendliest, funny" person.

Asked about a self-help book Noah had been reading entitled 12 Rules for Life by the author Jordan Peterson, the witness said: "It certainly had an impact on him, that's for sure".

Earlier, the witness said he believed the book had changed Noah's mindset and "helped him in a good way".

Charlie Rocks said he was offered the book by Noah, but declined because he "wasn't interested" in reading it.

However, he said he understood why someone might be interested in the author if it "shows him how the world works".

During further questioning about Noah's interest in the book and the author, he said he had "no concern about that in the slightest".

He said Noah was "definitely changing and being more open, which was great".

The witness also said he had no reason to believe Noah would have "any interest" in the Shore Road area of North Belfast where the schoolboy disappeared and where his body was found.

Noah disappeared after cycling to the Shore Road in north Belfast from his home at Fitzroy Avenue in south Belfast in the afternoon of 21 June 2020.

The last reported sighting of him was at about 18:00 BST that day.

Noah's disappearance prompted a major search operation with hundreds of people from across Belfast involved.

His body was found downstream in a storm drain on 27 June.

His mother has led a high-profile campaign for answers around her son's death.

She is being supported by family members, and her solicitor Niall Murphy.

Her counsel, Brenda Campbell KC, told a preliminary hearing last year that Ms Donohoe wanted a "full and fearless" inquest into her son's death.