Noah was “excited” to meet up with his friends after restrictions and was using lockdown as a chance to learn coding as it could be useful for a future job, the court heard

Advertisement

Friends and teachers of schoolboy Noah Donohoe cannot explain his behaviour before his death, an inquest has heard.

Brenda Campbell KC, representing Noah’s mother Fiona Donohoe, took retired PSNI Detective Constable Curran, who worked on Noah’s missing persons case, through her notebook detailing police conversations with his friends and teachers.

It included recollections of Noah’s attitude before he went missing in north Belfast almost six years ago.

Dc Curran told jurors at Belfast Coroner’s Court : “They give a description of Noah as a very sociable, articulate and intelligent child. He seemed to know everybody in school and was well-liked.”

The 14-year-old had been planning to meet school friends at Cavehill in Belfast after setting out on his bike on Sunday June 21 2020.

He was captured on CCTV cycling through the city centre and then towards the north of the city.

In the final clip, the last footage of Noah before he disappeared, he is seen riding the bike naked.

His naked body was found in an underground water tunnel on June 27, six days after he left home.

A post-mortem examination found the likely cause of death was drowning.

Dc Curran, who was trying to build a picture of Noah and get information to feed into the investigation through the conversations, told the court: “Nobody I had spoken to had given any explanation as to why he would have been naked in Northwood Road.”

She said the people she spoke to felt “this is entirely out of character”.

Two of Noah’s friends described him as “the smartest kid” and “everyone liked him”.

He was “inquisitive”, carried a notebook, “he knew everything” and wrote it down to remember it, the inquest heard.

The court heard that friends did not witness him being called names, and that he was never nasty and was always kind.

Noah was “excited” to meet up with his friends after restrictions and was using lockdown as a chance to learn coding as it could be useful for a future job, the court heard.

He was obsessed with reading and titles such as 12 Rules For Life, by the author Jordan Peterson, and George Orwell’s 1984 were on his reading list.

He was very close to his mother, involved in rugby, music, football and the Duke of Edinburgh scheme.

His cello teacher Andrew Nesbitt said he was “always respectful”, upbeat and generally positive and reserved.

The coroner Mr Justice Rooney adjourned Wednesday’s hearing early to allow the jury to travel home as there were concerns about transport amid the unrest following the Belfast stabbing attack.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

When Infantino sat down at the Azteca he knew exactly which questions would be coming his way.

How could he not?

The expulsion of Artan after an 11-hour interrogation at Miami International Airport had come just hours earlier, accused by a US official of having links to terrorists in his homeland.

“It is unfortunate what happened to the referee from Somalia,” Infantino said. “But again, we don’t control everything.

“We try, we’ll discuss, we’ll speak, we’ll see. Maybe sometimes it’s good as well to just, you know, chill, relax.”

Those words will have been of little comfort to Artan, who touched down back in the Somali capital of Mogadishu on Wednesday after seeing his World Cup dream die.

There were no words of support for the official, no regrets expressed. It was just “unfortunate”.

When questioned about other visa issues, which have affected fans and team delegates too, Infantino deflected attention to the 2035 Women’s World Cup – which is almost certain to be awarded to the United Kingdom.

“Would you find it normal that Fifa would dictate to the British government who to let in the country and who not to let in the country?” Infantino asked.

When England hosted the World Cup in 1966, a strikingly similar situation happened.

The UK government feared the presence of communist North Korea could cause diplomatic shockwaves and it considered denying entry.

After a letter from the Football Association warned the government that the country risking losing the World Cup, concessions were made to allow them to take part.

Indonesia, due to be hosts of the 2023 U-20 World Cup, were stripped of hosting rights after saying Israel would not be permitted entry.

Yet when the United States makes similar decisions which affect competing World Cup nations, such as Iran, Fifa says it is powerless.

“Unfortunately, our world is, you know, a very aggressive world, and security goes above everything,” Infantino said. “You need to respect the decisions which are taken, and when I say to chill, I don’t mean to chill and do nothing.

“We need to respect that we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces.

“We are a sports organisation. We try to do our best with the means that we have.”

The family said they have been left “feeling disgusted” by the recent disorder as they issue on fresh update on Stephen Ogilvie’s condition

Advertisement

The family of Stephen Ogilvie, victim of the horrific knife attack in Belfast on Monday, have given a major update on his condition as protests continue to cause chaos in the city.

His family said through police that they have witnessed a lot of false information circulating on social media.

They added: “It is now forcing us to clarify that our loved one is in fact in a stable condition, and we are solely focused on his recovery at this time,” they said in a statement distributed by the PSNI.

The family added: “We are also appealing to the media and the public to please give us some space. We need privacy to focus on our family right now, without cameras or people speculating about what happened via social media.”

They urged the violence to stop, saying they had been left “feeling disgusted” by the recent disorder.

Stephen Ogilvie, 44, lost an eye and suffered other serious injuries following the incident on Kinnaird Avenue on June 8.

Hadi Alodid, 30, of Duncairn Avenue in Belfast, appeared before the city’s magistrates’ court on Wednesday, charged with the attempted murder of Stephen Ogilvie, threatening to kill an NHS radiographer and possession of a knife.

UUP leader Jon Burrows spoke to the father of Stephen Ogilvie on Wednesday morning, following the scenes of violence and disorder across Belfast and other towns in NI on Tuesday night.

Advertisement

Mr Burrows said the victim’s father had a direct appeal he wanted him to pass on. As well as providing a condition update from the time Burrows said: “The victim’s father has also asked me to pass on a direct appeal to those spreading disinformation online: please stop. This has shockingly included false posts on social media at various times that his son has died.

“This is causing immense additional distress to a family already going through an unimaginable ordeal. I echo that appeal wholeheartedly and urge everyone to act with decency and respect for this family.”

In an earlier statement issued through Independent Councillor Stafford Ward, the family of Stephen Ogilvie said that they “want to make it clear that overnight unrest is not welcome”.

“We are aware of the tensions and talk of protests following this incident. We want to make it absolutely clear that overnight unrest is not welcome, and peaceful protest is the only way forward.

“We have many migrants who make a deeply valuable contribution to our country, including in our healthcare system and hospitality sector and we depend on them to make our country work. We do not want this terrible tragedy to be used to divide people or fuel hostility,”

Darlington Borough Council will partner with Esh Homes Limited to drive the development of the Burtree Garden Village. 

The partnership will provide the infrastructure, build and sale of homes at the site under the company name of High Faverdale Park JV Limited. 

The Burtree development, in Faverdale, will ultimately see 2,000 new homes built over 20 years. (Image: Hellens Group)

It comes after an agreement in March 2025 to enter into an Infrastructure Development Agreement with Homes England for the construction and adoption of a spine road over the council’s land at Faverdale. 

With the infrastructure works now nearing completion, the Joint Venture Company will purchase land to deliver new homes. 

Planning permission has recently been obtained for 130 houses on the site. 

The Burtree development, in Faverdale, will ultimately see 2,000 new homes built over 20 years. 

A new school, community centre, pub, and health facilities are also proposed. It will be built on old farmland near Burtree Lane, Faverdale Industrial Estate, and the A68. 

The development will be built on old farmland near Rotary Way, Faverdale Industrial Estate, and the A68.

The Joint Venture Company will be fully funded by the council through prudential borrowing of up to £8.382 million. 

A second garden village, Skerningham, will also be built in Darlington over the next few decades. It is due to cover 487 hectares to the north of Darlington and will adjoin the existing communities at Beaumont Hill, Whinfield and Great Burdon. 

Fire crews are at the scene

Firefighters were called to a Cambridgeshire village after receiving reports of a house fire on Wednesday, June 10. Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service were called at 2.54pm to reports of a house in flames on Telegraph Street in Cottenham.

Crews from Cambridge along with the south roaming fire engine and turntable ladder are at the scene. A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said they are “working hard to extinguish the fire”.

The spokesperson said in full: “At 2.54pm crews from Cambridge along with the south roaming fire engine and turntable ladder were called to a house fire on Telegraph Street in Cottenham.

“Crews are currently at the scene and working hard to extinguish the fire.”

On Wednesday, Trump told reporters, in reference to Iran: “We’re going to ⁠be attacking them, ⁠attacking them very hard.”

The latest strikes come after US military began targeted sites inside Iran in response to the downing of a military helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz earlier in the week.

Iran responded by launching missiles against bases that host US forces in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.

For weeks, Trump insisted that a peace deal between the US and Iran is close, but the conflict this week suggests time has run out to reach a diplomatic solution to the crisis, Al Jazeera news agency reported.

First, a confession. I’m that smug and condescending person that gloats to others about how I would never fall for an online scam.

I’ve sat through hundreds of online safety Compliance modules and pride myself on having a Sam Maguire level of cop on when it comes to being potentially swindled online.

It’s never happened to me. And I was cock sure it never would. Annoyingly sure.

That was until around 7pm on Saturday night.

While keeping one eye on the Galway v Dublin Leinster hurling final and simultaneously supervising two teenagers sitting State exams, I found myself scrolling through TikTok when something stopped me in my tracks.

An O’Neills GAA sale. And at first glance. A bloody brilliant O’Neills sale.

As the parent of two teens that practically live in O’Neills GAA gear, this felt like a genuine find. A golden opportunity to grab a few Dublin GAA bits ahead of our summer holiday.

Not to mention the chance to pick up some Meath GAA merchandise for a man who’s well past the age of sporting any GAA gear.

But a Meath jersey for €15. Where do I sign up?

Shorts for €5. How many would you like?

It sounds utterly daft in hindsight, and those reading this must be wondering what sort of eejit I am, but the website appeared completely legitimate and we’re all conditioned to these one-off ‘clearance sales’ from various brands.

Caught off guard and distracted by Galway’s demolition of the Dubs, I took the bait and handed over €63 of my hard-earned money to ‘purchase’ several items. My wife isn’t daft. She sensed something wasn’t right, and shortly after I’d clicked purchase, she voiced her suspicions that this seemed too good to be true.

‘Don’t worry,’ I reassured her in my finest Alan Partridge voice, ‘I’ve just got a confirmation email.’

That’s when reality hit me. Like an enormous Croke Park-sized coin crashing down on my skull.

You’ve been scammed. You absolute eejit!

The email address looked suspicious, the text was riddled with grammatical errors, and the amount I’d paid didn’t match what appeared on the receipt. This fool had been taken in.

Working in GAA photography and graphics, once I viewed the site on a desktop, it became glaringly obvious this was a fraudulent copycat website.

Fair play to the scammers, though. They’d earn an 8/10 in the match ratings. They’d made it appear incredibly convincing on mobile. I was even provided with a bogus tracking number.

To be honest, as my wife had pointed out, it was far too good to be true. But by then it was too late. The match was done. The final whistle had sounded. The scammers had lifted the silverware.

Credit to Revolut, they’re putting in serious effort to recover my funds. But rather like Meath’s prospects of capturing the All-Ireland title, the chances are slim.

I reached out to O’Neills to alert them that fraudsters were duplicating their website to flog non-existent goods, and they verified that they don’t run advertisements on TikTok. They said: “Based on the information provided, this does not appear to be a legitimate O’Neills purchase. We do not sell our products via TikTok or any other social media marketplaces. All official O’Neills products are sold through our official website and authorised retail locations.

“Unfortunately, fraudulent websites and advertisements can sometimes appear online offering heavily discounted products in order to mislead customers.”

Consider this a cautionary tale – even if you reckon you’re savvy enough to avoid it, falling victim to online scams can happen to anyone.

And when a deal looks suspiciously good, chances are it’s dodgy.

Penning this serves as both a cathartic exercise and a public service announcement to remain vigilant, as this bogus website continues to operate.

Or medium, as my phantom jersey was meant to be.

Sign up to our free sports newsletter to get the latest headlines to your inbox

Online figures such as Tommy Robinson provide “really easy narratives” that have helped to fuel disorder in Belfast, a researcher has said.

Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, continually posted on X during Tuesday night, commenting that “Belfast is burning with rage tonight” and “It’s happening. Unite”.

Dr Darja Wischerath, from the University of Bath’s Institute of Digital Security and Behaviour (IDSB), analysed the impact of Robinson’s public Telegram channel on rioting in the summer of 2024. In July and August of that year, widespread unrest and disorder was seen across the UK in response to the Southport murders.

The researchers found that Robinson used his Telegram channel to comment on ongoing events and legitimise violence during the anti-immigration protests and riots without ever giving direct instructions, allowing him to maintain plausible deniability.

Dr Wischerath told PA: “They establish this parasocial relationship with their audience, which already puts them in a position where they are kind of a really good authority on all of the things that are going on in the world and are already trusted more both cognitively and emotionally”.