Connor McConnell Says Harassment Is Sickening at Noah Donohoe Inquest
Connor McConnell told the noah donohoe inquest on Wednesday that he is “sick of being harassed” after questions about information he gave the inquiry into Noah Donohoe’s death. His complaint came as Mr Justice Rooney questioned McConnell about earlier evidence on what he saw and when he contacted police.
McConnell first gave evidence in February, saying he was at his mother’s house on Northwood Road in June 2020 when he saw the 14-year-old cycling naked along the street on the day he disappeared in north Belfast. He also said he called police that night after seeing a Facebook post from a colleague with a photograph of Noah.
Northwood Road evidence
The inquest is testing McConnell’s account because the police record and the Facebook trail do not line up neatly. The Police Service of Northern Ireland had not published details about Noah’s disappearance until the early hours of the following morning, yet McConnell said he had already seen a post and alerted police during the night.
During the hearing, McConnell was asked to write the colleague’s name on note paper and hand it to the coroner. The person whose name he gave later told the inquest she never made any Facebook posting about Noah’s disappearance. She said she knew McConnell from school and had last spoken to him a year before Noah disappeared.
Mr Justice Rooney's inquiries
McConnell told the inquest he had meant to write down the name of a friend with a similar name and that he had written the wrong surname. Addressing Mr Justice Rooney, he said, “I was on the stand all day, it was quite a stressful day, your honour”.
A statement from one of McConnell’s friends said the two exchanged messages about the case at the time, and that McConnell told the friend he had contacted police on the night Noah disappeared. That leaves the inquest with competing accounts over two points central to McConnell’s evidence: the Facebook post and the timing of his call to police.
Noah Donohoe inquest
Noah’s body was found in an underground water tunnel six days after he disappeared in north Belfast. The inquest is expected to make further inquiries based on the new name McConnell submitted to Mr Justice Rooney, keeping the focus on whether the earlier account can be relied on as the hearing continues.
