Fra Hughes ✒ Sunday, March 28 2021 was week forty in Fiona Donohoe’s search for truth and justice into the disappearance and death of her beloved son Noah on Sunday, June 21 2020.


The longest day of the year was transformed into her longest nightmare. The dark night of the soul when Fiona lost her only child.

Noah was just fourteen and attending St Malachy’s grammar school on the Antrim Road Belfast.

No parent ever wants to lose a child. Regardless of their age, circumstances and passing.

It is a tragedy that many may never recover from.

Fiona more than most has cause for her sorrow.

The circumstances of Noah’s death are still unclear with many unanswered questions.

The Police investigation seems incomplete, has answered very few questions around Noah’s disappearance and indeed has raised more questions than they seemed to have resolved.

All through this tragedy of not knowing, Fiona has been supported by her loving sister Niamh.

Two powerful courageous and resilient women at the forefront of the fight for truth and justice for Noah.

Fiona, Niamh and Family pass Fortwilliam on
the Antrim Road on their way to Belfast Castle

Noah disappeared one warm bright summer evening on his way to Belfast Castle.

After exhaustive searches by the local populace failed to find any trace of Noah, he was subsequently found dead in a storm drain several hundred meters from where Police believe he may have entered the tunnel.

Why he did this no one seems to know?

His personal items and clothing were discovered scattered here and there and some were missing.

They were later found in the possession of a local person who was subsequently brought before the courts in connection with theft by finding.

Conjecture by the Police and others are not facts and little eyewitness testimony has so far come to light.

The family of Noah Donohoe are not satisfied by the Police response and have led a campaign for full transparency into the policing inquiry and the circumstances surrounding Noah’s disappearance and death,

Their grief has touched nearly every corner of the country and further afield.

After the public searches for Noah and a car cavalcade for justice, this Sunday saw a white line picket from Belfast City Hall to Belfast Castle. Retracing a part of Noah’s last journey on the day he disappeared.

People gathered in the centre of the road to highlight this campaign. Stretching several miles.

Fiona and Niamh and their family walked symbolically from Belfast City Hall to Belfast Castle.

They thanked each person, man, woman and child who lined the route. Many cars traversed the route beeping horns, handing out bottles of water and encouragement to those who marked the way.

I met Niamh during the search for Noah on a Wednesday morning after he disappeared.

I was again able to chat briefly with her on Sunday when the assembled walkers gathered at Belfast Castle.

I have found Niamh and Fiona to be two beautiful people whose gratitude to all those seeking justice for Noah stands in the deepest of contrasts to the policing failures on display in this case.

The strength and dignity of these two remarkable women are exemplified in how they coped with their grief and loss while maintaining the campaign. Their genuine warmth towards all they meet and their compassion for others shines through.

Noah’s anniversary is only twelve short weeks away.

I hope and pray they get the answers we all seek.

I stand with Noah, Fiona and Niamh.

I stand with Noah’s Army. The public face of solidarity for the private heartache the family continue to endure.

I demand the police become fully transparent and honest in their dealings with the Donohoe family, the campaign and the rest of us.

I see the total lack of political support from the Justice Minister to be appalling and lacking in empathy, solidarity or compassion.

When elected ministers and politicians turn their back on those crying out for Justice I shudder to think where we are going as a society.


No Justice, No Peace, We want truth and full disclosure from the Police.

Fra Hughes is a Freelance journalist-author-commentator-political activist.
Follow on Twitter @electfrahughes

Two Words Courage And Resilience Here Are Another Two Words Fiona And Niamh

Fra Hughes ✒ Sunday, March 28 2021 was week forty in Fiona Donohoe’s search for truth and justice into the disappearance and death of her beloved son Noah on Sunday, June 21 2020.


The longest day of the year was transformed into her longest nightmare. The dark night of the soul when Fiona lost her only child.

Noah was just fourteen and attending St Malachy’s grammar school on the Antrim Road Belfast.

No parent ever wants to lose a child. Regardless of their age, circumstances and passing.

It is a tragedy that many may never recover from.

Fiona more than most has cause for her sorrow.

The circumstances of Noah’s death are still unclear with many unanswered questions.

The Police investigation seems incomplete, has answered very few questions around Noah’s disappearance and indeed has raised more questions than they seemed to have resolved.

All through this tragedy of not knowing, Fiona has been supported by her loving sister Niamh.

Two powerful courageous and resilient women at the forefront of the fight for truth and justice for Noah.

Fiona, Niamh and Family pass Fortwilliam on
the Antrim Road on their way to Belfast Castle

Noah disappeared one warm bright summer evening on his way to Belfast Castle.

After exhaustive searches by the local populace failed to find any trace of Noah, he was subsequently found dead in a storm drain several hundred meters from where Police believe he may have entered the tunnel.

Why he did this no one seems to know?

His personal items and clothing were discovered scattered here and there and some were missing.

They were later found in the possession of a local person who was subsequently brought before the courts in connection with theft by finding.

Conjecture by the Police and others are not facts and little eyewitness testimony has so far come to light.

The family of Noah Donohoe are not satisfied by the Police response and have led a campaign for full transparency into the policing inquiry and the circumstances surrounding Noah’s disappearance and death,

Their grief has touched nearly every corner of the country and further afield.

After the public searches for Noah and a car cavalcade for justice, this Sunday saw a white line picket from Belfast City Hall to Belfast Castle. Retracing a part of Noah’s last journey on the day he disappeared.

People gathered in the centre of the road to highlight this campaign. Stretching several miles.

Fiona and Niamh and their family walked symbolically from Belfast City Hall to Belfast Castle.

They thanked each person, man, woman and child who lined the route. Many cars traversed the route beeping horns, handing out bottles of water and encouragement to those who marked the way.

I met Niamh during the search for Noah on a Wednesday morning after he disappeared.

I was again able to chat briefly with her on Sunday when the assembled walkers gathered at Belfast Castle.

I have found Niamh and Fiona to be two beautiful people whose gratitude to all those seeking justice for Noah stands in the deepest of contrasts to the policing failures on display in this case.

The strength and dignity of these two remarkable women are exemplified in how they coped with their grief and loss while maintaining the campaign. Their genuine warmth towards all they meet and their compassion for others shines through.

Noah’s anniversary is only twelve short weeks away.

I hope and pray they get the answers we all seek.

I stand with Noah, Fiona and Niamh.

I stand with Noah’s Army. The public face of solidarity for the private heartache the family continue to endure.

I demand the police become fully transparent and honest in their dealings with the Donohoe family, the campaign and the rest of us.

I see the total lack of political support from the Justice Minister to be appalling and lacking in empathy, solidarity or compassion.

When elected ministers and politicians turn their back on those crying out for Justice I shudder to think where we are going as a society.


No Justice, No Peace, We want truth and full disclosure from the Police.

Fra Hughes is a Freelance journalist-author-commentator-political activist.
Follow on Twitter @electfrahughes

7 comments:

  1. What on earth makes you think the cops would not want the exact same answers to the families questions?

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    Replies
    1. You have an unhealthy faith in cops Steve

      Delete
  2. I also know a lot of cops, and in this case in particular they want to get to the bottom of it for a myriad of reasons least of all because they are getting their arses roasted by the higher ups. Setting aside the understandable deep suspicion and distrust from the CRN community the PUL community wouldn't want a wean to end up as Noah did nomatter what and especially without knowing the parents knowing the circumstances. We are not all monsters on our side, some of the residents even searched for him. And not all cops are sadistic bastards that would cover up something untoward happening to a child.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Steve - I am sure many want to get to the bottom of collusion which led to the killings of many nationalists but the force is not set up for that. If for some reason someone is being covered for, then the bottom will not be got to. I don't think the PUL community is to be blamed at all. Many of them did their best to find him. I do not know if there is a bottom to be got to as I have not followed it closely enough. I just don't have the faith in the PSNI that you have. Have seen them mislead and cover up too much to think that they would suddenly abandon the habit it in this case.

      Delete
  3. This is such a harrowing story beyond belief. The PSNI investigation just seems to turn up more questions than answers The heartache of the Donohue family must be harrowing ,to lose Noah in such a way. i hope Fiona finds the truth and justice she deserves.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Not far from here, three children disappeared and were never seen again. This happened in the 1990s in a small town named Bowraville, about twenty kilometres inland on the north coast of NSW. When you drive into Bowraville you cross the river. The mellow light bobbing on the surface of the water answers the question, what happened to the children, with silence.

    In September, sixteen-year-old Colleen went missing during a party at one of the houses in town. Colleen's clothes were later found in the river, held under by stones. Evelyn, who was four, disappeared one night from her mother's bedroom. That was in October. Clinton, sixteen, disappeared in February. After staying overnight in somebody's caravan he failed to reappear the following morning. He left his shoes behind.

    For several days Colleen's mother didn't know her daughter had gone missing. They were in different towns and Colleen was supposed to be staying with relatives. When Muriel discovered her daughter's absence she went to the police. She told the officer that they had arranged to meet up. Colleen hadn't shown. Colleen wouldn't do that. Something was wrong. The officer was sceptical. He suggested that Colleen had gone walkabout. He didn't take a statement from Muriel. This wasn't one of the richer suburbs of Sydney. This was a country town with a small population of Aboriginal people. Apparently these things happen. Muriel left the station, gathered her other children and went looking for Colleen. She asked people a lot of questions.

    After little Evelyn vanished from her mother's room while everyone slept, her auntie and mum went to the police station to ask for help. The officer on duty told her he was unable to help. He was about to knock off for the day. Evelyn's aunt and mother left and went looking for the child. They came back to the station at different times during the days that followed. An officer wondered if Evelyn had gone walkabout.

    If the police were out looking for Evelyn, they didn't tell her mother and aunt. They had dragged the river and sent out a large search party, a local newspaper reported. An officer theorised that she might be somewhere "safe and well". Murder wasn't on their radar. It was treated as a case of a missing person. They didn't connect the disappearance of Evelyn with that of Colleen, who was now also treated as missing. They had little contact with the families.

    One night in February, Clinton disappeared from a caravan, where two other people were sleeping. His girlfriend awoke to find only his shoes in his place. She took the shoes over to the house of Clinton's father, who found this disturbing. Clinton didn't go anywhere without wearing his shoes. After searching and making enquiries, Clinton's father went to the police. They couldn't investigate a missing persons case, they said, until after 24 hours had passed. When the father returned to the station, they weren't fully onboard with the missing persons thing. They said he had gone walkabout.

    The Aboriginal community in town believed they knew who the murderer was. But the white people didn't agree. Sometimes Evelyn's mother, Rebecca, would have a few drinks and walk down main street in the middle of the night and break windows. Until she was arrested and sent to prison for three weeks.

    After Clinton disappeared, more senior police got involved. One of the detectives, from the Child Mistreatment Unit, was tasked to work the family angle.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Clinton's remains were found in the bush by some people collecting firewood. The investigators had now come to suspect the same man the Aboriginal community believed was responsible. They conducted a forensic search of the man's caravan but a month had passed and there wasn't much evidence. A preacher, who was fishing in the river, hooked Colleen's clothes, in a plastic bag weighted with stones. Evelyn's remains were found on some dry leaves in a gully in a forest. When two detectives came to inform Evelyn's parents of the discovery, her father responded, 'If you c***s had done your job when Colleen went missing, this would never have happened'.

    The police believed they knew who the murderer was. However, they were unable to secure a conviction in court because of a lack of evidence and reliable witnesses. Part of the problem was communication. The families weren't taken seriously. And the police weren't trusted by the Aboriginal people. When they did ask questions, the police encountered contradictions and differing accounts. Evelyn's aunt, Michelle, said that the way Aboriginal people describe events happening in time doesn't match with the way police ask questions about specific times. Investigators would frame events within specified dates and ask about these dates, months later. But the Aboriginal memories were drawn from a framework which locates events relative to other events. Before, during and after. The "when" is more about how things relate to one another and less about dates on a calendar.

    After the acquittal, the senior detective on the case wrote to his boss and detailed the failures of the investigation. The report was pushed upwards. The police commissioner came to Bowraville and apologised to the relatives. The police would open a new investigation into the murders. They put together a task force with eight detectives. One of them, Gary, felt a creeping discomfort as he learned more about the case. After going over the files of the initial investigation, he felt ashamed by its spareness and casual appreciation of the facts. Gary then focused on working with the families. He saw that, if they were going to work together, he would need to throw out all the stereotypes of white authority and Aboriginal victimhood. Basically, instead of talking at them, he went there and listened.

    Another trial, another acquittal. The relatives pushed Gary. They never were going to give up. They petitioned the Attorney General. An application was made to the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal. The court ruled that the evidence from the new investigation was not "fresh and compelling" (even though the evidence had not been presented earlier, it had been available, and so it wasn't fresh) and that meant there were no grounds to throw out the acquittals and try the case again.

    The man who was found not guilty has always maintained his innocence. He moved away from Bowraville not long after the disappearances.

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