Reports of screams 'miles away' from where Noah went missing

The police were asked to investigate reports of screams miles away from where Noah Donohoe went missing in north Belfast, an inquest has heard.

Some of the reports came from Newtownabbey and one caller said they were not sure if the sound they heard was from "a human or animal".

Previously, the inquest heard about reports of screams close to where Noah was last seen naked at Northwood Road in north Belfast.

There has been no evidence at the inquest that any of the sounds or noises related to the schoolboy's disappearance.

The inquest was told police received numerous reports of unusual noises, sounds or screams from members of the public following an appeal for information during the search for Noah.

On Monday, evidence was heard from Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Detective Inspector Ryan McCartan who was the coordinator of house-to-house enquiries in north Belfast where Noah was last seen in June 2020.

The inquest has previously heard that several residents reported hearing outside noises and potential screams on the evening of Noah's disappearance on 21 June 2020 and during the early hours of the following morning.

A lawyer for the Donohoe family told the inquest on Monday that "as many as seven people" from around the area where Noah was last seen reported what they heard, and the police did not seek statements from some of them.

The barrister asked the police witness if he considered that "there's a bit of a theme emerging here" and if he pursued the issue accordingly.

McCartan explained that his role was to coordinate the house-to-house strategy and to feed relevant information into the wider investigation where it would be assessed and if necessary, acted upon by a separate witness strategy team.

A lawyer acting for the PSNI pointed out that there has been no evidence that any of the reported noises or sounds related to Noah.

The barrister for the PSNI also told the inquest that some of the public information about potential screaming sounds came from Newtownabbey, County Antrim, which is located north of Belfast.

One report from that area, relating to the early hours of the morning after Noah's disappearance, described "very loud screams" while another referred to a "strange high pitched screaming noise".

The lawyer for the PSNI said these calls came from "miles away" from where Noah went missing and indicated how the public in many areas were responding to the appeal for information from the police.

One person who called the police from Newtownabbey described how they were unable to confirm if the sound they heard in the early hours of the morning came from "a human or animal".

The inquest also heard that the police had 187 witnesses within days of Noah's disappearance and by 9 July 2020 the number of potential witnesses had exceeded 200.

The inquest will hear from the final witness on Tuesday.