TW. Noah. The PSNI and their failure to investigate his death?

[blackandgreen]

belfastmedia.com/what-are-the-police-hiding-in-the-noah-case
by Elly Omondi Odhiambo

Noah Donohoe was found lifeless in a storm drain on June 27, 2020. A post-mortem report declared that he died as a result of drowning. Well, because the job of the police is to look at every possible and impossible, there has been a growing number of Belfast residents wanting to know if there was a racial motivation in the death of Noah Donohoe. People want to know the truth. The more the family of Noah and public are cautioned against making so-called unsubstantiated statements, the more they hunger for the truth.The PSNI is bungling this sad case

This 14 year old set off on his bike one Sunday, two years ago now, to meet a friend. They were working on a Duke of Edinburgh award.

Six days later, his naked body was found a kilometre inside an unlocked storm drain, in a part of Belfast he did not frequent.

Apparently, the police announced that there was no foul play involved, on the very day that his body was found. Even before an autopsy took place. There still has been no Inquest.

The police version of events is that: Noah fell from his bike, sustained a head injury, removed his clothes in confusion, ditched his bike, wandered off naked into a part of the city he would not usually go into, and somehow ended up drowned a kilometre inside an ( unusually) unlocked storm drain.

I understand that Noah was of African/Irish heritage. Police have never considered a racial element in his death and disappearance. Another schoolboy a fortnight earlier, had been attacked and chased by a group of youths whilst cycling. He escaped from them only after running three miles to safety. Police did not investigate any links between the incidents.

His mother's demand for answers from the Police Service Northern Ireland appears to have been blocked by them. There is a petition requesting the release of these files.

See also
www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/belfast-news/noah-donohoe-senior-psni-officer-23277631

Please, if you are able, can you support his mum Fiona, and sign the petition on MN?

This has been referred to as "the PSNI's Stephen Lawrence scandal". Let us pray and hope that it is not.

@TheBlackDarner has expressed it all beauitfully. There won't be any regular user of the BMN board who won't be fully behind Noah's family and their fight for justice for their darling boy. The more visibility the better. Jis family desperately need the 500k signatures.

@TheRealMrsMac I will write to my MP this weekend.

@DoggoShark

Surely the more people that are aware of Noah and this injustice the better. It does seem odd that someone would want to shut down a thread about this case.

I’ve signed already but I will keep reading here for any updates and very much hope that Noah’s mum and the rest of his family get justice.

Yes, absolutely this. And it is good that we give air to Elly, who has done some brave journalism around this, along with other more well known journalists. Respect to them who speak up for Noah.

If anyone is interested in Elly*. More about him here. I looked him up, as I did not know about him until this thread.
belfastmedia.com/authors/elly-omondi-odhiambo

( Remembering also Lyra McKee, Veronica Guerin. Brilliant and courageous journalists murdered for speaking up.)

@TheBlackDarner

Thanks so much ChocoLiebniz your signature makes a real differnce to this Mum in showing that you cared. Jamboree01 and TheRealMrsMac Thanks so much for keeping us updated. So those intended house searches didn't go ahead? Was there a reasonn given?

I know that Easter is such a special time, as it is for my own family. I thought of you all today and your support for Fiona.

Such a great picture of Noah. One day, I hope that he can rest in peace.

God bless you 🙏🙏🙏💙💙💙 wishing you and your family a blessed Easter.

God bless beautiful Noah 💙💙
#JusticeForNoahDonohoe

I'm far away with my family this Easter, and thinking of Noah who is not with his. Please support his Mum's petition.
💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙

#JusticeForNoahDonohoe
#NoPublicInformationImmunity
#Week95

I hope his mum and family get some answers. Everyone, everywhere does.
I think the PSNI and many local people feel that the timeline of when Noah left home to when he was last seen on CCTV did not in anyway provide local paramilitaries or racists the opportunity they would have needed to rally or indeed would have needed to act to plan and then act to harm Noah.
Noah’s cycle ride was a one off situation. Noah was not wearing anything that would have marked him as Catholic or Protestant let alone loyalist or Republican. He was just a lovely lad on his bike.
Also N Belfast has a decent number of black people, those of BAME origin - so again not so weird to see a black boy cycling about for anyone to see this as shocking.

He was however last seen in a working class, predominantly Protestant and loyalist leaning area.

Noah left the safety of his home and cycled across town to meet his friends in a north Belfast to undertake some work on his Duke of Edinburgh (so reporters have stated) He goes to school in N Belfast - so there is nothing at all weird in this journey and it was a lovely bright evening.
He left home in the early evening, cycling almost constantly, moving for 30 mins. This was evidenced on some CCTV cameras along the route. At sometime shortly after 6pm he was seen in a state of undress, on his own, not being chased for example, at the top of a dead end street, close to the entrance to the storm drain system where he was eventually found.
Noah was never seen alive again.

Everyone in NI wishes this young man was alive
We all wish we could make sense of this and make this better in some way.
I hope it has nothing to do with his skin colour or religion - I still am hoping for some evidence of accident.
All the love in the world goes to Noah, his family and friends. He is Belfast’s child. We wish he was home.

In that case, PSNI should have no problem releasing the files to the family.Redacted as necessary.
( BAME is not really a term to use on this board}

@RonaldMcDonald

I hope his mum and family get some answers. Everyone, everywhere does. I think the PSNI and many local people feel that the timeline of when Noah left home to when he was last seen on CCTV did not in anyway provide local paramilitaries or racists the opportunity they would have needed to rally or indeed would have needed to act to plan and then act to harm Noah. Noah’s cycle ride was a one off situation. Noah was not wearing anything that would have marked him as Catholic or Protestant let alone loyalist or Republican. He was just a lovely lad on his bike. Also N Belfast has a decent number of black people, those of BAME origin - so again not so weird to see a black boy cycling about for anyone to see this as shocking.

He was however last seen in a working class, predominantly Protestant and loyalist leaning area.

Noah left the safety of his home and cycled across town to meet his friends in a north Belfast to undertake some work on his Duke of Edinburgh (so reporters have stated) He goes to school in N Belfast - so there is nothing at all weird in this journey and it was a lovely bright evening.
He left home in the early evening, cycling almost constantly, moving for 30 mins. This was evidenced on some CCTV cameras along the route. At sometime shortly after 6pm he was seen in a state of undress, on his own, not being chased for example, at the top of a dead end street, close to the entrance to the storm drain system where he was eventually found.
Noah was never seen alive again.

Everyone in NI wishes this young man was alive
We all wish we could make sense of this and make this better in some way.
I hope it has nothing to do with his skin colour or religion - I still am hoping for some evidence of accident.
All the love in the world goes to Noah, his family and friends. He is Belfast’s child. We wish he was home.

@RonaldMcDonald I have seen comments from you before.

Please don’t continue.

Ah, RonaldMcDonald is a 'move along, nothing to see here' poster. A different approach to Monty27 but, as the OP rightly points out, trying to shut down conversation and only choosing to post their 'truth' here on BMN all the same.
I think the PSNI and many local people feel...
The PSNI do not 'feel' that at all, it is the version of events they have pushed publicly for their own reasons since the beginning. They know the truth - or at least the ones involved in the cover-up do. I don't think this poster speaks for 'many local people' either.

Everyone in NI wishes this young man was alive
No, they do not, a very tiny minority do not - because then Noah would have lived to tell the tale.

Perhaps it might be a good idea not to post on the thread after midnight, when it might hang around in Active in the wee small hours and draw attention from this sort of poster?

I disagree. Carry on as normal. Post whenever you like. Only Mumsnet HQ can delete posts, true? And they didn't, which is good. Let the likes of the 'move along, nothing to see here's' expose themselves. We can carry on discussing regardless, and in some instance, because of.
RIP Noah 💙

You make a very good point, TimeAfterTime1 - thank you 💙

Please ignore my last sentence in my pp - Time is right.

@TimeAfterTime1

I disagree. Carry on as normal. Post whenever you like. Only Mumsnet HQ can delete posts, true? And they didn't, which is good. Let the likes of the 'move along, nothing to see here's' expose themselves. We can carry on discussing regardless, and in some instance, because of. RIP Noah 💙

Yes to this. There are a minority of people who don't want BMN to have a board, and not to show in Active. We will post as and when we want on here. (Within guidelines) We can also tell the difference between genuine posters and hired hands. The more I get told nothing to see. The more I think that there is something to hide. All people are asking is for these files to be opened to the family and family lawyers.💙

There have been two arson attacks on Belfast Multicultural Centre since Noah died, and other racist attacks on adults.

So I'm fairly sure not everyone cares equally about Noah's death.
💙

I won't be self imposing a curfew just in case some schill turns up in the early hours. MNHQ run the site, not some anonymous posters.
It's important that we stand up and support the call for these files to be released.💙

Any of the Noah campaign dropping by. It would help on here to explain the PII angle. Is it just NI, or does it apply in England also? Why is it being used on these files if there is nothing to see ?

PII has been used in NI in thousands upon thousands of cases- particularly in cases where British armed forces have killed innocent people and in cases of children’s deaths and abuse (ie Kincora). It was also used by the British government to prevent families of Birmingham pub bombings seek by files related to their relatives’ murders. Noah’s solicitor, Niall Murphy, is also working pro Bono for those families as the British government denied them legal aid.

It is a very big rabbit hole- I have seen no evidence where it is actually used for the benefit of the public, or more importantly, for their victims and their families- quite the contrary. It protects the authorities from their failings and far, far, far worse.

That is the question. PSNI and coroner Joe McCrisken expect the narrative of ‘no foul play’ to be accepted without question. There is no sense in PII being invoked if there was no foul play. Most of us, including Fiona Donohoe, firmly believe that Noah was deliberately harmed 💔

Thank you so much @Jamboree01 for helping understand some of the enormous challenges Fiona is facing. Please know that Noah's campaign will not ever be silenced on this board.

@Lndnmummy

Thank you so much *@Jamboree01* for helping understand some of the enormous challenges Fiona is facing. Please know that Noah's campaign will not ever be silenced on this board.

Yes. Since I first heard Noah was missing, Father’s Day June 2020, I have prayed, supported and have done all I can to raise awareness. I have spoken to Fiona on a number of occasions and know that there will never be silence. Not on this board or anywhere 💐

I commented on the thread not to shut it down. I did not notice it was in BMN. I saw it late at night when I was awake. I apologise for posting here and for my lazy and inappropriate use of the term BAME. I did not mean to cause offence and apologise for any I have caused.

I have never abused anyone regarding the Noah Donahoe case, @Jamboree01 that is a deliberate, malicious falsehood.

My name on Mumsnet is of my own choosing, following a long line of other names, like most posters.
Your next malicious slur was suggesting my name has something to do with a children’s centre in Belfast.

There actually isn’t a Ronald McDonald funded centre here but I’m sure facts will not get in the way of whatever story you are hoping to tell and the drama you are attempting to encourage here.

I’d guess you aren’t a Jamboree - but maybe you’re called that because you love gatherings of Scouts (see how weird it is?)

I never suggested you didn’t speak about Noah, the campaign or his Army. I have signed the petition, being part of the line and I also want justice - whatever that might be - for Noah.

Sometimes those who are supposed to help Noah, his friends and family, seem to be doing the most harm.
I have felt you have behaved in a deliberately abusive way toward me and have reported your behaviour twice today

Nothing you have said regarding my post was accurate.

I didn’t mention a Ronald McDonald funded centre. That was another poster.

His name is Noah Donohoe.

Some of the misinformation in your post is very deliberately misleading.

Not sure what you are reporting me for but report away.

As I said, I didn’t mention a Ronald McDonald funded centre.

The tone and language of your posts are very familiar indeed. God bless.

Yeah, God bless