On the day he disappeared, a young boy fell off his bicycle and was witnessed removing his clothes in the street, as revealed during an official inquiry. Noah Donohoe, a 14-year-old, was tragically discovered deceased in a drainage system in northern Belfast in June 2020, six days after departing from home on his bike to meet friends in the Cavehill region of the Northern Ireland capital. Authorities initially suspected that he had sustained a head injury before his demise, but a female observer who saw Noah fall from his bike contradicted this theory at the inquest.

Amanda Seenan, the witness, stated that she did not observe any signs of injury despite witnessing the fall, which she described as significant. She expressed surprise at the reports suggesting Noah had been injured, as she had not relayed this information to the police. During the hearing at Belfast Coroner’s Court, Brenda Campbell KC, representing Noah’s mother, presented Ms. Seenan with a press release from the Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI) mentioning a potential head injury.

Ms. Seenan recounted driving with her infant daughter on the evening of June 21, 2020, when she noticed a male cyclist falling off his bike on North Queen Street in Belfast. Although she slowed down to check on the cyclist, she observed him quickly getting back on his bike and riding away without any visible head injury. She emphasized the severity of the fall but clarified that she did not witness Noah hitting his head.

Another witness, Sinead Quinn, reported spotting a young male picking up a bike at a street junction but did not witness the fall. According to Ms. Quinn, the youth retrieved his bike and rode away towards the Shore Road, ignoring his jacket left on the road despite her attempt to alert him by honking the horn.

The ongoing inquest, now in its second week, is expected to provide more insights into the circumstances surrounding Noah Donohoe’s tragic demise.