Some in crowd during Noah Donohoe search were 'hostile'

A search of a local park for Belfast schoolboy Noah Donohoe was delayed because of "hostile" behaviour by some members of the public, an inquest has heard.

The 14-year-old's naked body was found in a storm drain tunnel a week after he went missing in June 2020.

A former police inspector has told the inquest into Noah's death that he was part of a hazardous environment search team which began searching the underground tunnel three days after his disappearance.

Former PSNI Insp Menary said the specialised team encountered multiple problems during the initial search of the tunnel, including stone and metal obstructions as well as silt and toxins.

Menary said the underground search was part of an overall search operation which included searches of the nearby Linerar Park and Cave Hill.

He said the search of Linear Park, close to the neighbourhood where Noah went missing, was hampered by a large number of people who were there trying to help in the ongoing search operation.

However, he explained that the search could not proceed at one point because of the size of the crowd, "some of whom were behaving in a hostile fashion".

He pointed out that most of the people at the scene were motivated to help in the search for the missing boy.

'Very difficult place to survive'

Menary said none of the obstructions the specialist team found in the tunnel would have prevented someone from getting through that part of the tunnel.

He said it was "a very challenging environment to navigate" and was "very cold".

Menary added: "I believe it would be a very difficult place to survive if you were naked."

He said the initial search was focused on the upstream non-tidal part of the tunnel and the team called out "Noah" and "police" while they conducted their searches underground.

He said the search of the downstream section of the underground tunnel, including where the boy's body was eventually found, was hampered by daily tidal flows from Belfast Lough.

The inquest heard how the tunnel ran underneath part of the Seaview football grounds going towards Belfast Lough.