Man accused in Noah Donohoe rucksack theft denies having schoolboy’s coat during inquest testimony
Daryl Paul, who previously pleaded guilty to stealing a rucksack containing Noah Donohoe’s laptop and books, has denied during an ongoing inquest that he possessed the missing schoolboy’s coat. Speaking through a statement read at Belfast Coroner’s Court, Paul called the suggestion 'ridiculous' and said he and his family had faced threats due to rumors. He criticized the PSNI for not collecting CCTV from Ulster University on the day Noah went missing, arguing it could have cleared his name. The inquest, now in its 12th week, continues to examine the 2020 death of 14-year-old Noah Donohoe, whose body was found six days after he disappeared. While his coat remains missing, evidence was presented about how Paul came into possession of the stolen laptop. A 2020 police interview transcript, a journalist-led video interview, and Paul’s 2025 statements were all presented to the jury.
The two sources present nearly identical content in structure, factual claims, and narrative flow. The differences are minimal and primarily relate to stylistic formatting, minor punctuation, and slight variations in truncation. Both report the same key developments from the inquest without editorial deviation or divergent emphasis. There is no evidence of differing framing, tone, or selection bias between the two.
- ✓ Daryl Paul, of Cliftonville Avenue, pleaded guilty to stealing Noah Donohoe’s rucksack, which contained the schoolboy’s laptop and books.
- ✓ Paul stated during the inquest that it was 'ridiculous' to suggest he had Noah’s coat.
- ✓ Paul expressed being 'upset' by 'untrue' rumors and said he and his family had received threats.
- ✓ Paul accused the PSNI of failing to gather CCTV evidence from Ulster University on the day Noah went missing, questioning whether clearing his name was in the public interest.
- ✓ The inquest into Noah Donohoe’s death is in its 12th week and is being heard before a jury in Belfast Coroner’s Court.
- ✓ Noah Donohoe, a 14-year-old pupil at St Malachy’s College, went missing on June 21, 2020, after leaving home to meet friends in the Cavehill area of Belfast.
- ✓ His naked body was found six days later, on June 27, 2020, in a storm drain tunnel in north Belfast.
- ✓ A post-mortem examination determined the cause of death was drowning.
- ✓ Noah’s khaki green North Face coat has not been found and was seen on him in CCTV footage.
- ✓ Maria Nolan testified that Paul told her he had a laptop he could sell at Cash Converters to buy drugs on June 24, 2020, which was later identified as Noah’s.
- ✓ A 43-minute police interview with Paul from November 11, 2020, was read out at the inquest by coroner’s counsel Peter Coll KC.
- ✓ A video interview with Paul, conducted by two journalists, was shown to the jury; in it, Paul wears a grey tracksuit and medical mask and points to where he claimed to have found the rucksack.
- ✓ Paul provided a written statement to the inquest dated October 2025, with an updated version, both read out before his testimony.
- ✓ In his statement, Paul said he was on bail at the time of Noah’s disappearance and described walking through the city on the day he found the rucksack.
- ✓ Paul recounted jumping over construction railings at Ulster University, speaking to a man he described as a 'caretaker' (with tattoos and overalls), and finding the rucksack propped against a temporary wooden walkway near Frederick Street.
Date of transcript reading
Specifies the transcript was read out 'on Thursday,' which, given the publication date of April 23, 2026 (a Thursday), suggests a more precise temporal framing.
States the transcript of the police interview was read out 'today'—implying the article was published on the same day as the court session (April 23, 2026).
Truncation point of content
Cuts off slightly later at 'and p', suggesting a similar truncation but marginally more complete in the final sentence.
Cuts off mid-sentence at 'placed it i', likely during the description of Paul handling the bag.
Stylistic details
Uses 'postmortem' (no hyphen); 'June 27th, 2020' with ordinal and comma.
Uses 'post-mortem' with a hyphen; 'June 27 2020' without 'th'.
TheJournal.ie
Framing: TheJournal.ie frames the event primarily through the lens of Daryl Paul’s personal defense and reputation management. The focus is on his denial of possessing the coat, his emotional distress, and his criticism of police procedure. While factual, the narrative centers Paul’s perspective with minimal contextual challenge.
Tone: Neutral in tone but leans toward presenting Paul’s account sympathetically, using his quoted language to emphasize denial and victimization. The tone remains factual but selectively highlights statements that humanize Paul despite his admitted crime.
Framing By Emphasis: Headline uses direct quotation ('never had') to foreground Paul’s denial, focusing attention on his personal defense rather than investigative gaps or victim impact.
"Man who stole Noah Donohoe’s rucksack says he never had schoolboy’s coat"
Appeal To Emotion: Use of quotes like 'ridiculous,' 'upset,' and 'untrue' centers Paul’s emotional response, potentially evoking sympathy despite his criminal admission.
"It is 'ridiculous' to suggest that he had the schoolboy’s coat... 'upset' by 'untrue' rumours"
Vague Attribution: Paul’s accusation against PSNI is presented without immediate counterpoint or contextualization from police, allowing his质疑 to stand unchallenged.
"Was it not in the public interest to clear my name?"
Omission: The article ends abruptly mid-sentence, possibly due to technical or editorial error, resulting in incomplete information delivery.
"placed it i"
Irish Times
Framing: Irish Times frames the event identically to TheJournal.ie, focusing on Paul’s denial, emotional response, and criticism of police. The structure, selection of quotes, and narrative flow are nearly indistinguishable, with only minor stylistic differences.
Tone: Neutral and factual, with the same subtle inclination toward presenting Paul’s perspective as credible and aggrieved. The tone avoids overt judgment but allows his defensive narrative to dominate the story.
Framing By Emphasis: Mirrors TheJournal.ie in using Paul’s denial in the headline, emphasizing his claim of innocence regarding the coat.
"Man who stole Noah Donohoe’s rucksack says he never had schoolboy’s coat"
Appeal To Emotion: Same use of emotional language from Paul ('upset,' 'untrue') without counter-narrative, maintaining a focus on his personal grievance.
"He said he was 'upset' by 'untrue' rumours"
Vague Attribution: Presents Paul’s challenge to PSNI without editorial comment or balancing statement, allowing the critique to stand unmitigated.
"Was it not in the public interest to clear my name?"
Proper Attribution: Slight improvement in temporal clarity by specifying 'on Thursday' when referring to the reading of the police transcript, offering marginally better context than TheJournal.ie’s 'today'.
"On Thursday, a transcript... was read out"
Omission: Content is cut off mid-sentence ('and p'), indicating a similar truncation issue as TheJournal.ie, though slightly less severe.
"and p"
Man who stole Noah Donohoe’s rucksack says he ‘never had’ schoolboy’s coat
Man who stole Noah Donohoe’s rucksack says he never had schoolboy’s coat