Irish Republican News · August 14, 2020

Donohoe family seek justice

Fiona Donohoe, the mother of 14-year-old Noah Donohoe, has begun a justice campaign and is seeking public assistance for an investigation into the unexplained death of her son in June of this year.

Noah went missing in north Belfast on the evening of Sunday June 21st whilst cycling to meet friends for a youth project. Six days after he disappeared, his body was found in a storm drain, near an area where loyalists have threatened and violently attacked nationalist children this summer.

At the time of his disappearance, the PSNI police proposed a theory that Noah had suffered a change of personality after hitting his head while cycling, causing him to suddenly scatter his possessions and clothing in a variety of locations.

Following the discovery of his naked body, the PSNI continued to insist that no foul play was involved. Seven weeks later, the PSNI have withdrawn their personality change theory, but have provided little further information.

Noah’s phone and laptop have been recovered, and the family are still waiting to have these returned. They are also hoping to see reported CCTV footage, and await news about a potential re-enactment of Noah’s disappearance. However, after weeks of private distress, his grieving family have now been forced to set up social media accounts to draw attention to the case.

“My son died, we have no answers, we have nothing”, Fiona Donohoe wrote, as she appealed to the public to help her find answers to questions about what happened to Noah.

There are now undeniable concerns within the nationalist community over the possibility of collusion in the case, and fears for the safety of other children. A petition already signed by ten thousands reflects the general uproar in nationalist Belfast over the continuing failure of the Police Ombudsman to hold an urgent investigation into the PSNI’s actions in the case.

Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill said this week she will leave “no stone unturned” in her support of the family: “All families are entitled to know the truth surrounding the deaths of their loved ones and this must be the case for the family of Noah Donohoe”, she wrote.

Anyone with the any information about Noah’s disappearance is also urged to contact the offices of the Relatives For Justice group. The petition for the Police Ombudsman to take action is available at https://bit.ly/2E3Czni

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