Noah Donohoe was an intelligent, smart, kind and gentle boy. He was 14 years old, the only child of Fiona Donohoe and her everything.
On 21st June 2020, a bright sunny day and as lockdown had eased, Noah set off on his bike to meet up with his two friends to do some schoolwork together, but never reached his destination. Instead, Noah's body was found 6 days later in a storm-drain, naked, in a part of his home city he did not know.
On the day Noah was found, before Noah was formally identified, the Police did a media release stating that there was ‘No Foul Play’ involved. If the police are so sure that ‘No Foul Play’ was involved and that they will not be found wanting under scrutiny, why are they now trying to stop Noah’s mother and her legal team getting access to four files of information on Noah’s investigation?
The Police have applied for a ‘Public Interest Immunity’ certificate, which, if granted, means they can hide four key files in the investigation. Such a certificate is only used in exceptional circumstances and rarely used in the case of a missing child. This certificate has been brought into play in cases where Police intelligence, informers or paramilitaries are involved.
Noah’s mummy has, from the very start of Noah being missing, believed that the police did not use all their resources in finding Noah. This was confirmed when it emerged they had not paid anyone overtime while investigating his death. They did little, if any, forensics and any suspects that were brought to their attention were dismissed as not relevant.
Noah's mummy believes that someone harmed Noah and that there have been serious and repeated failings in the Police investigation of his death. She will never get to the truth and Justice for Noah if she does not get all the information. These four files are vital to get the truth she desperately needs, to find out what really happened to her precious son.
This is a podcast with Noah's mother. It is a hard watch and so a trigger warning may be needed before watching:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRWsr3giWH8
After watching the podcast and the more I get to know, the more questions and doubts I have, and the more difficult it is to believe the police claim of 'No Foul Play'. Noah's death is being treated as a coroner's investigation and the police are not actively pursuing any person or persons in relation to it. Given the lack of a proper investigation into Noah's disappearance and death by the police and their application to keep their files secret, it is difficult to have any confidence in them. In fact, this has been described as their 'Stephen Lawrence moment'. Add to this that Noah's mother and auntie have received telephone threats, are trolled daily online and posters of Noah have been defaced - his face deliberately cut out of them. My own view is that the files must be released and a new and independent investigation begun.
As a parent, a member of the public and a long-standing Mumsnetter, I want to know the truth about what happened to Noah. Even more importantly, I want his mother Fiona to get the truth she needs to be allowed to grieve properly for her son, for Noah to get the justice he truly deserves, for all other children to be safe in the future and to place transparency and accountability where it should rightly be.
AIBU?
This is an earlier thread about Noah, nearly full and so about to close to new posts, but with useful links to newspaper articles and also to a petition in support of his mother:
www.mumsnet.com/talk/petitions_noticeboard/4525759--THREAD-2-Will-you-spare-five-minutes-to-help-the-lovely-Noah-Donohoe-get-the-justice-he-deserves-and-to-support-his-mummy-Fiona-in-getting-the-truth-about-what-happened-to-her-beloved-son