A former police officer shared during an inquest his lingering distress over the image of a teenage boy feeling “vulnerable and exposed” before being discovered deceased in a sewage system.
The retired inspector, Menary, who had oversight of the Police Service Northern Ireland’s (PSNI) hazardous environment search team, expressed the shocking nature of the underground conditions in the tunnel network where Noah Donohoe’s body was uncovered in 2020.
The ongoing inquest, with a jury at Belfast Coroner’s Court, is now in its fourth week.
Noah, a student at St Malachy’s College, was merely 14 years old when his unclothed body was located in a storm drain tunnel in north Belfast in June 2020, following his disappearance six days earlier while riding his bike to meet friends in the Cavehill area. The cause of his death, according to a post-mortem examination, was drowning.
Providing testimony on Wednesday, Mr. Menary informed the jury that his team resumed searching a section of the storm drain network on June 25, four days after Noah was reported missing. The tunnel entrance was accessible from a culvert in Northwood Linear Park, near where Noah was last spotted.
At that point, Mr. Menary emphasized that the operation was a search effort, not a recovery mission, as there was no concrete evidence indicating Noah had entered the storm drain. The focus was on identifying any unusual or suspicious elements within the culvert.
During the search beneath Seaview football pitch, Mr. Menary described the harsh conditions, highlighting the extreme cold and water seepage into his protective gear.
In response to questioning by the coroner’s counsel, Mr. Menary elaborated on the physical challenges faced by someone traversing the length from the culvert entrance to the area he had searched, emphasizing the numbing cold and disorienting effects.
Expressing his deep sorrow, Mr. Menary revealed the emotional toll of the search efforts, emphasizing the personal connection felt by his team, many of whom had children of similar ages to Noah.
Reflecting on the operation, Mr. Menary acknowledged a sense of disappointment at not finding Noah sooner and praised the professionalism and urgency of his team’s actions.
He also highlighted the despair felt upon realizing Noah’s ordeal, expressing relief at his recovery and return home.
The inquest is ongoing, with Mr. Menary emphasizing the unprecedented nature of a person, especially a child, navigating such a hazardous environment under distressing conditions.
His poignant remarks reflected on the profound impact of the search operation and the haunting thoughts that persist to this day.
