A CCTV operator has described the practical challenges of tracing a missing person’s movements through urban camera networks at the inquest into the death of Belfast schoolboy Noah Donohoe.

Noah Donohoe, a 14-year-old pupil at St Malachy’s College, left his home in south Belfast on the evening of Sunday 21 June 2020, intending to meet friends in the Cavehill area. He was later captured on camera cycling along York Road and for a final time on Northwood Drive. His naked body was found on 27 June inside a storm drain tunnel at a Northern Ireland Railways depot, roughly 600 metres from the culvert entrance off Premier Drive. A post-mortem examination indicated drowning as the likely cause of death.

Neill Gibson, a civilian CCTV operator who previously served in the PSNI, was working in the Musgrave police station suite in the hours after Noah was reported missing. He told the coroner’s court that viewers often underestimate the complexity of tracking a subject across multiple cameras. Operators have to estimate how quickly someone might travel between points and guess which route they might take. Cameras may be facing an unexpected direction or may have been left zoomed-in for a separate operation, he said.

Brenda Campbell KC, representing Noah’s mother Fiona Donohoe, asked Gibson whether the empty streets during pandemic restrictions made identification easier. He did not accept that suggestion. When questioned about the urgency of the search, Gibson said every missing child is automatically treated as high-risk. He rejected a suggestion that police had failed to impress the degree of urgency upon him, and stated he worked to the best of his ability with the information he had at the time.

During the hearing, Fiona Donohoe wept as footage was shown of her son cycling away from the Ormeau Road area shortly after leaving home, then progressing through Cornmarket and Royal Avenue in the city centre. She bowed her head and wiped her eyes while the images were displayed on screens in the courtroom.

A serving detective constable, identified as Constable Johnston, also gave evidence. He was involved in seizing Noah’s laptop and gathering CCTV recordings from several locations, including the house near Northwood Road where the final sighting occurred. When asked about the number of external cameras on that property, he said he could not recall, adding that his task was to secure the footage rather than to survey the equipment. He gave similar responses to many other questions, stating he had specific duties and was not responsible for operational decisions.

The jury inquest, now in its 18th week, continues at Belfast Coroner’s Court.