Noah Donohoe investigation making progress - PSNI chief

Noah Donohoe was found dead six days after he went missing in Belfast last summer

The police are confident they are "making progress" in the investigation into the death of Noah Donohoe, PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne has said.

The 14-year-old Belfast schoolboy went missing last year and was found dead in a storm drain six days into the search.

Mr Byrne made his remarks a day after newspaper allegations about Noah's death were raised in a coroner's court.

He did not refer to the newspaper claim but said that the PSNI would continue to support the coroner's investigation.

Last weekend, the Sunday World published a claim from a prisoner that his cell mate had admitted to killing the schoolboy.

That newspaper article was raised at a preliminary inquest hearing in Belfast on Wednesday, when the Donohoe family's barrister told the court the claim had caused "anxiety" for her clients.

The barrister also said it was necessary to know what was being done about the newspaper allegation.

In response, the PSNI's solicitor confirmed officers were investigating but did not give further details.

'Gaps in the inquiry'

The full inquest into Noah's death is due to open in January 2022.

The St Malachy's College student went missing after going for a bike ride on 21 June last year and his disappearance led to a large community search operation.

His body was found in a 1km-long drain on 27 June 2020 and a post-mortem examination later found he died as a result of drowning.

However, his mother has repeatedly pleaded for answers on how he ended up in the storm drain and has campaigned for a thorough investigation into his death.

On Thursday, the chief constable referred to the case as a "key contemporary issue" as he addressed a meeting of the Northern Ireland Policing Board.

PSNI Chief Constable Simon Byrne briefly mentioned the case at a Policing Board meeting

Describing Noah's death as "tragic", Mr Byrne said: "We continue to support the coroner in that investigation and recognise the anguish that Fiona [Noah's mother] is going through.

"I've met her myself a few months ago to listen to some of her concerns and we're keen to remedy any of the issues that she's raising in terms of gaps in the inquiry.

"But we're confident that we're making progress in the investigation."

The next review date in the preliminary inquest hearings was set for 16 September.