The closest friend of Noah Donohoe testified at an inquest that he had no concerns about the 14-year-old's state of mind before his disappearance and death in 2020. Charlie Rocks told the hearing that Noah never expressed any interest in storm drains or underground areas - despite the schoolboy's body being found in a storm drain in north Belfast.
Noah Donohoe went missing in June 2020 after leaving his home on his bike to meet friends in the Cavehill area of Belfast. His body was discovered six days later in a storm drain in north Belfast. The inquest is investigating the circumstances surrounding his death.
Friend's Assessment
Rocks, who was also a pupil at St Malachy's College in Belfast, described Noah in glowing terms at the inquest. «He was the nicest, friendliest person, funniest person,» he said, adding Noah was the «smartest kid, he was always asking questions».
He told the hearing: «Noah was friendly with everyone in school. I joked with him that he knew everyone in school.» But he emphasized: «He wasn't the type of person to be in the popular friend group, but he knew everyone.»
No Interest in Underground Areas
When questioned about whether Noah had shown interest in underground spaces, Rocks was definitive. «He never mentioned to me anything about storm drains or going underground or being in tunnels,» he testified.
He added: «If he had have been interested in these things, he would have talked about them as he would always have spoken about things that he was interested in throughout lockdown.»
Mental Health During Lockdown
Rocks described Noah's demeanor during the Covid lockdown period as positive. «He appeared to be upbeat and was looking forward to ending lockdown,» he said. «He never appeared to be down or depressed, and only mentioned once to me that he was feeling blue.»
When counsel to the coroner Peter Coll KC asked whether he had concerns about Noah's mental health, Rocks acknowledged their conversations could be eccentric. «Noah is very eccentric as a person, and I think some of the last conversations we had before he passed were certainly eccentric,» he said. «I think that was because of the transitional period he was going through.»
But he was clear about his assessment: «But in terms of immediate concern, I had none at the time, and I even looking back on it now, I still don't.»
Rocks told the inquest he believed Noah became «more open» about his mental health during lockdown: «He was starting to grow up and think more about his emotions. He was definitely changing, which was great.»
Additional Evidence
The inquest was shown social media messages between Noah, Rocks and another friend, Jay Tierney. The messages revealed Noah had suggested Rocks read the self-help book "12 Rules for Life" by Jordan Peterson.
Rocks confirmed he was unaware Noah occasionally stayed overnight alone in his Belfast apartment. When questioned by PSNI barrister Donal Lunny about Noah's sexuality, Rocks said: «He was straight from what I knew.»
The messages also showed both teenagers discussed liking the same girl. Rocks told barrister Brenda Campbell KC, who represents Fiona Donohoe: «It was important for me with him that made it clear that it was him first for me, and if he had any issue with it, I would have stepped away because he was so important to me and I know that I was important to him.»
The inquest is being heard with a jury.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
