Noah Donohoe: the latest news is very bad

[MNettersForNoahAndFiona]

Many Mumsnetters will have already seen and kindly supported my threads and those of others about the disappearance and death of young Noah Donohoe in Belfast in June 2020. For those who haven't, Noah's naked body was retrieved from a drain after he had been missing for 6 days. Two years later, his grieving mother Fiona, with her sister Niamh at her side, is still having to fight for the truth about her adored son's disappearance and death and for justice for him.

Yesterday, Fiona was given official notice by the government/NIO that a Public Interest Immunity Certificate has been granted. It was signed by the new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Shailesh Vara, MP for North West Cambridgeshire. This means that the police/PSNI are allowed to keep hundreds of pages of information from their botched investigation into the disappearance and death of this innocent and precious child secret. It was received by the police/PSNI and Crown Solicitors Office on the 19th July and his mother was not told for over a week.

Mr Vara was appointed after Brandon Lewis resigned from Boris Johnson's cabinet. He has only been in his post as NI Secretary for two weeks. This is not a good start. Signing the PII Certificate so swiftly indicates to me that he has not taken due time and care to learn all the facts in Noah's case. I think anyone who concludes from this that Mr Vara is just a government and police puppet could be forgiven.

For those Mumsnetters not in Northern Ireland who believe that PII Certificates don't concern you, a PII Certificate application from the police/PSNI protected Robert Howard, a known prolific and violent child killer and rapist. It allowed him to travel to England, Scotland and Ireland. He was only brought to justice when he raped and killed a child in Kent. This is only one example of many.

If you are not outraged, then you have not been paying attention. What can you do? Please think about this and do what you can. Please join us in raising awareness about Noah on social media, with your own government representatives and mainstream media. If you want to contact Shailesh Vara directly about Noah's case:
members.parliament.uk/member/1496/contact
Email at NIO: [email protected]
He is also on Twitter:
twitter.com/ShaileshVara

Here is a factual and reliable pinned Twitter thread for people new to Noah's story or wanting to know more:
mobile.twitter.com/MarymoBelfast/status/1370453351616425985
Here is Fiona's podcast:

Here is a Channel 4 News report: www.channel4.com/news/noah-donohoe-family-seek-answers-over-belfast-teenagers-death And please, if you haven't already, do still join the 309,146 people who have showed they care by signing Fiona's petition. Link in the OP of this thread: www.mumsnet.com/talk/petitions_noticeboard/4573833-noah-donohoe-his-mothers-fight-for-the-truth-and-justice-please-help-stop-the-police-coroner-and-brandon-lewis-from-keeping-investigation-files-into-the-death-of-a-child-secret-thread-3?

Thank you sincerely for reading and for your support. 💙

TLDR:
As Marion Wright Edelman said, if we don't stand up for children, then we don't stand for much. Shame on you, Shailesh Vara. AIBU?

Thank you @Parsley1234 💙

Thank you @MrsMitford3 💙

We won't stop
And the more the merrier - all welcome.

@YesJess there's apparently over 200 cameras covering that section of road. Some business owned, some traffic cams others general council/police cctv.
Incidentally the same area is about to be redeveloped into student housing. The contract worth millions...

If you look on Google street view you can clearly see there is no gap or alleyway between the houses. If he was seen going down there he was heading into a back garden.

Thank you @Feduppluckingmychinhairs 💙

Words can't express just how hard this is all the time for Fiona and Niamh, but also just how strong and determined they are - for Noah.

that explanation for withholding files is bullshit. If that were the case no victim's family would ever be able to know anything.
Exactly

Stinks of a hate crime and cover up,
If it smells like a hate crime and cover up, looks like a hate crime and cover up and sounds like a hate crime and cover up, it's a hate crime and cover up.

Just put this up on my Facebook and story and told my Irish friends they have no idea what it’s about. I find this just incredulous probably being so ignorant but sectarian violence is that what this is and if the truth comes out Noah was attacked it could set off more violence please pm me if it can’t be out on here. I don’t understand the background I’m just so terribly sorry 😢

I'm sorry that I haven't managed to reply to everyone yet, but I really appreciate the supportive posts, actions and votes. I've got limited time but will try to catch up tomorrow. Thank you everyone, and if you can, as Fiona would say, tell your dear ones that you love them and hug them tight, just like she always did with Noah, including for the very last time on that fateful Sunday. 💙

Horrific and shocking how few people seem to know Noahs story... I'll absolutely share

Absolute and sickening corruption. Strenght to Fiona and hope that one day there will be #JusticeforNoah 💙

Who is best to write to if NI based? Local MLA? Is there any point in writing to a local MP that does not take their seat at Westminster?

I also saw an NI Council refused an Independent Councillors proposal for a discussion today regarding asking the SoS to withdraw the PII issued in Noahs case.

Disgusting corrupt politics.

That's weird. I'll have to check it out. Article says: 'Noah’s last known movements – captured by CCTV walking naked down the side of a house towards a gate that led to a park and a storm drain – are recorded at 6.03PM'.

The whole Jordan Peterson thing is odd too, although maybe a total red herring. Noah defo doesn't sound like the usual demographic.

Thank you@Parsley1234 and @Skelligsfeathers

It's very important to stress that this isn't about one community against another. Fiona has always been very clear on this. There is good and bad in all communities, predominantly good. Noah was brought up to see everyone as equal, and he did. There is a very tiny minority in every community who are bad. This is who we are talking about - the tiny minority who are racist, bigoted, criminal and violent. Fiona has always expressed how grateful she is to have had help and support from the decent people of all communities, who are the majority. The warnings of violence if it comes out that Noah was hurt are an excuse, a smoke screen, a red herring. The known issues within the police/PSNI are more likely to cause the problems if they are allowed to carry on as they are and as they did when they were called the RUC.

💙Like all decent people, Fiona does not want revenge. She does not want violence. Not in Noah's name. She just wants the truth and justice for Noah and for other children to be safe. That is all. 💙

Surely a good investigative journalist from Channel 4, Sky or maybe an US channel would be interested in this.

are recorded at 6.03PM'.
The police have changed the timings of what little CCTV they have let Fiona see several times. Initially this was 6.11pm and that time seems more credible.

There is a Twitterstorm to raise awareness for Noah every Sunday at 6.11pm if anyone would like to join in. It is important to use the correct hashtags and I will try to remember to post them before this Sunday.

Please can I ask everyone posting in good faith not to be side-tracked or derailed by whataboutery?

Also a reminder that not all reports in the media are accurate.

Thank you everyone. 💙

I only know about this case because of Mumsnet and I haven't seen it talked about in the English press. Whether that's because they have been warned off or because they just aren't interested, I have no idea.

Jess Phillips MP is a great advocate for women and children and has a high profile - I'm wondering if she is aware of the case and whether she would be prepared to ask Shailesh Vara a question about it in the Commons?

'Noah Donohoe’s family deserve truth and transparency - Kelly

Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly has said it’s deeply concerning that one of the first actions by the new British Secretary of State was signing off on a certificate to conceal information on the death of 14-year-old Noah Donohoe.

The North Belfast MLA also called on the PSNI to withdraw the application for a Public Interest Immunity certificate (PII) to give ‘truth and transparency’ to the Donohoe family.

Gerry Kelly said:
“One of the first actions of the new British Secretary of State, who has only been office for a number of weeks is signing off an application for the PSNI to conceal information related to the Noah Donohoe case.

“This is deeply concerning and I am again calling on the PSNI to withdraw this application, because the Donohoe family deserve answers, not secrecy and cover up.

“Public Interest Immunity certificates (PII) are used to conceal information. They were and are extensively used to hold back information in conflict legacy cases.

“This inquest is about the death of a 14-year-old child. It is not conflict related.
“We will continue to stand with the Donohoe family in their campaign for truth, transparency and accountability.”

I just watched the piece from Channel 4 news. I sincerely hope that channel will keep going on this.
Justice for Noah

@MrsMitford3 yep that's the one. He has been pretty useless in the past but who knows - maybe if we both write he will realise people all over care about this, compare notes with his MP colleagues who may also have got letters, and start asking questions.

Covering up for police incompetence is not in the public interest, and there needs to be oversight of police claims of compromising operational stuff. I'm thinking of the Lady Vanishes podcast over in Australia where the police similarly ballsed up an investigation, tried to release only heavily redacted documents, and the family managed to get a decision from the National civil and administrative tribunal to release more info.

Might this be an avenue for the family to challenge the PII decision? www.gov.uk/courts-tribunals/administrative-court

I completely agree with this poster. It's highly likely that there's information which can't be shared with the public as it's too sensitive or identifies people within the community.
There's still been no inquest into the death and I think it needs to be prioritized as his family need answers. I don't know why this is an aibu post or why there are so many threads by the one person but would really like to see Noah's mother know what happened to her son.

So corrupt. Noah & his family deserve justice

Some MPs, the ones who care about children, women and about justice, will care about what one of their colleagues has done. He sits amongst them. Some of them will realise that this does not look good for the government and the Conservative Party.

NI has never been more than a tiny blip on the radar of people in England, where the Conservatives hold a large majority. The only time news from NI held the attention of English people was when bombs were exploding in England, and even then few bothered finding out why that was happening, what was the background...

NI occupies a hazy place in the imagination of the Tory-voting English. Yes, it's part of the UK, but it is also foreign in a way Wales and Scotland will never be.

The Unionist MPs in Parliament are never going to support any pressure on the PSNI to do anything other than what the NI Secretary has done. SF don't sit. NI is cut off politically from the rest of the UK. No parties from England, Scotland, or Wales field candidates there, and no NI parties field candidates in the rest of the UK.

I don't share your optimism here. The Tories have nothing to lose by using the PII. A question in the HoC where there may be a few MPS sitting yawning during a quiet session will make no difference whatsoever.

Journalism has a chance to keep the case in the spotlight.

But ultimately, somebody knows what happened to Noah, and the fact they are not talking speaks volumes.

💙