Man who stole Noah Donohoe's laptop admits he lied to police

A man who found and stole Noah Donohoe's missing laptop has told an inquest that he lied to the police.

Daryl Paul was questioned by a barrister for Noah's mother, Fiona Donohoe, about what he intended to do with the laptop after he found it on the day of Noah's disappearance.

The witness had been in prison for another matter, not related to Noah's case, after the schoolboy's death.

When he was released from custody later that year, Paul was questioned by the police about being in possession of Noah's rucksack and laptop.

He told the police that that he did not intend to sell the laptop, but the family barrister told him on Thursday that he intended to "flog" it for money.

She said he told "lie after lie after lie" about what he intended to do with the laptop.

The lawyer asked him if he told lies.

Paul replied: "I have done".

He also said he accepts "I was being dishonest" in the police station and now regrets it.

The barrister told him: "You had been trying to sell it from the minute you came upon it".

She said he wanted money "to go and buy your drugs".

"Possible, yeah", the witness replied.

The Donohoe family lawyer told the witness he was "telling lies to cover-up the full extent of your criminality, Mr Paul".

Paul explained how he found Noah's bag beside Ulster University, but he insisted that he had "nothing to do with the death and disappearance" of the schoolboy.

He also denied that he was in possession of a missing coat belonging to Noah and he rejected the evidence of two other witnesses who described seeing a similar coat in his possession.

He insisted: "I did not have Noah's coat".

Noah Donohoe, a 14-year-old St Malachy's College schoolboy, discarded or became separated from personal belongings including the laptop as well as all the clothing he was wearing before he disappeared on 21 June 2020.

His naked body was found in a water tunnel close to the M2 in North Belfast six days later.

Paul found the laptop on the evening of Noah's disappearance, and he subsequently pleaded guilty to stealing a rucksack containing the laptop and schoolbooks.

The court case against Paul was specific to Noah Donohoe's stolen belongings and was not connected in any way to any other issue relating to the mysterious disappearance and death of the schoolboy.

Paul appeared as a witness at the inquest on Thursday and he took the stand in a corner at the front of the courtroom, directly opposite where Fiona Donohoe was sitting in a corner at the back of the courtroom.

Fiona Donohoe watched and listened as the inquest heard statements and watched a video relating to Paul's involvement in the theft of her son's laptop.

The inquest was shown a video recording in which Daryl Paul spoke to journalists in May 2021, the year after Noah's death.

In the video, Paul was wearing a grey tracksuit, a baseball cap, and a Covid-19 face mask.

He explained how he found Noah's backpack at a temporary construction walkway at the Ulster University on the evening of the boy's disappearance.

He said he brought the bag and its contents home and later discovered it contained the laptop.

"It's something I have to live with. I'm sorry," he said.

Towards the end of the video recording, Paul said: "The truth will come out. I'm just a scapegoat".

"Every time, it's just a new rumour," he said.

In the video interview, in which he spoke about his addiction issues, Paul also addressed anyone with information about what happened to Noah, saying: "It's never too late to do the honourable thing".

In a statement to the inquest, he explained that on the day of Noah's disappearance when he found Noah's rucksack, he was on bail and electronically tagged.

He said he was not aware of Noah or that he was missing when he found the boy's possessions.

"I never met or even seen Noah," he said.

In an additional statement, he told the inquest about "untrue rumours" linking him to the wider case around the disappearance of the schoolboy.

Paul said he and his family had been threatened.

He also repeated an appeal to anyone who knew anything about the case.

"I honestly feel that if anyone knows what happened to him, they should come forward."

He described how he is "upset about all the rumours" and stated that if he knew "all the trouble it could cause" he would never have touched the boy's belongings.

Paul interrupted proceedings late in the afternoon to request a break and is expected to return to the witness stand on Monday.