Derry & Strabane reps call for Noah Donohoe case PII to be cancelled

Noah disappeared while cycling from his home in south Belfast to meet friends across the city in June 2020. The 14-year old St Malachy's College pupil was found dead in a storm drain in North Belfast six days after he went missing.

A motion was brought before full council by Independent councillor Paul Gallagher who said: “Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Strabane, Derry and Belfast and they have been campaigning for the cancellation of the PII in the case of Noah Donohoe.

“They are very much to the fore in supporting the family and the need for openness and transparency in this case for this young boy.

“I believe it is very important that this council, this corporate body supports the rights of this family which has local connections in this district, in their rights to justice and their rights be seen to be delivered.”

Mayor, Councillor Sandra Duffy thanked councillor Gallagher for bringing the motion forward adding: “I appreciate getting the opportunity to discuss it.”

SDLP councillor Shauna Cusack began by thanking everyone who had been ‘vociferous in their pursuit of justice for Noah.’

The Foyleside elected representative said: “Anyone in this part of the country cannot be ignorant to the Justice for Noah campaign and the bizarre, unexplained and deeply suspicious aspects of Noah’s disappearance and death.

“In the beginning as an ongoing investigation there was a modicum of hope that eventually the circumstances and details would come out and the family could begin to grieve now furnished with the truth. However, all this was dashed and everyone’s fears confirmed when the previous and latest of our two-minute MPs Secretary of State Shailesh Vara imposed a PII certificate on information sharing on the case and such was the strength of disbelief and outrage that the public here mobilised hugely and rallies were organised, petitions set up and social media platforms inundated.

“I personally took a petition to the doors of my constituency to those not IT comfortable and I was overwhelmed at the response. The genuine hurt, the anger and sympathy felt on behalf of the Donohoe family and hundreds of signatures were gathered and sent to the then Secretary of State Shailesh Vara.

“The response to the petition and my correspondence was pitiful and came in the form of an impersonal email from the Northern Ireland office."

Independent councillor Gary Donnelly made an amendment stating that ‘This council supports the Donohoe family in their call for Noah’s inquest to be heard in front of a jury.’

“This is a harrowing case, it is a disturbing case,” he commented, adding that the fact the family are still there and fighting was remarkable. “I would like to echo their request that it be heard in front of a jury.”

Sinn Féin councillor Michaela Boyle offered the party’s support to the motion and amendment adding: “Fiona Donohoe is entitled to transparency.

“It’s been said there has been a petition of over 300,000 signatures supporting Fiona’s plea to see all the evidence at the inquest into her son’s death.

“An inquest for grieving families the opportunity to hear and examine all of the issues surrounding their loved ones death and Noah’s death there remains unanswered questions that need to be answered in a fair and transparent manner.”

Alliance councillor Rachael Ferguson and People Before Profit councillor Maeve O’Neill both tagged their voices of support, commending Fiona and Niamh Donohoe for their campaign and calling for the family’s wishes for a jury-led inquest to be followed.

The substantive motion passed unanimously. The motion will also be sent to the ten other councils in the North.

Noah was born in his mother Fiona’s native Strabane, and Fiona has led a campaign to find out what happened to her son.

Former Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Shailesh Vara’s office has signed a PII at the request of the PSNI in relation to the case of Noah Donohoe.

PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Mark McEwan said back in August: “We recognise how difficult this process is for the family. In making the application for Public Interest Immunity (PII), we sought to keep the number of redactions to an absolute minimum and only where necessary.

“Redactions related to sensitive personal information and to investigative methodology that if released, would adversely impact the safety of person/s or other unrelated investigations."

A Northern Ireland Office spokesperson said at the time: “We do not comment on ongoing coronial proceedings.”

Last month a coroner upheld the police application to withhold sensitive material from an inquest.

High Court judge Mr Justice Michael Humphreys concluded disclosing the information at the centre of the PII would create a real risk to the public interest.

The Coroner also said that none of material within the PII was of "central relevance" to the forthcoming Inquest.

The Inquest into Noah’s death is expected to begin next month.

Justice Humphreys said: "Disclosure of the redacted material would give rise to a real risk of serious harm to the public interest.

"The representatives of the next of kin can be assured that nothing has been redacted which shows that any third party was involved in Noah Donohoe's death, nor that would suggest there has been any cover-up in the course of the investigation."

Gillian Anderson

Local Democracy Reporter