The inquest into the death of Belfast schoolboy Noah Donohoe has been adjourned in an “unprecedented” move.
Mr Justice Rooney took the decision at Belfast Coroner’s Court after the jury had deliberated for 24 hours over three days and been unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
They have been tasked with agreeing findings on 10 questions, including the date of Noah’s death and whether any errors made by police contributed to his death.
During a late night sitting of the court it emerged that a number of members of the jury would not be available to continue the deliberations.
Mr Justice Rooney described an “unprecedented” situation during the hearing which went on until 00.50 on Friday.
He paid tribute to their dedication to the inquest, adding they had “run out of time” to reach a unanimous verdict, adding “that is the problem”.
He went on to outline that he had taken the decision to adjourn the inquest until all the jurors were available again, adding a warning to jurors that they remain in deliberations until the inquest resumes later in the year, potentially in August or September.
Fourteen-year-old Noah’s naked body was found in an underground water tunnel in the north of the city after having been missing for six days in June 2020.
The inquest into his death started in January and has heard evidence from 76 witnesses, statements from a further 42 people, and involved maps, video footage, photographs, police logs and expert reports.
A post-mortem examination concluded that the cause of Noah’s death was drowning.
Noah’s mother, Fiona, has been present for every day of the inquest.
The jury were sent out to start their deliberations at 9.46am on Thursday morning.
They continued discussions across the day on Thursday at the Laganside Courts complex before moving to the nearby Royal Courts of Justice just before 6pm in the evening amid an extended court sitting.
Mr Justice Rooney earlier on Thursday described it as “unprecedented in my experience to have a jury sitting in court at 11.20pm”, but added there were “good reasons for it”.
Across Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday the jury has so far deliberated for almost 24 hours.
Addressing the jury earlier Mr Justice Rooney reiterated that they must reach their findings based on the evidence they have seen and heard in court.
He reminded jurors that their findings must be unanimously agreed.
He also said there is no pressure of time on their deliberations, and all in court are happy to stay as long as it takes for them to reach their decisions.
