A senior coroner has recused himself from an inquest into the death of the Belfast teenager Noah Donohoe.
In a statement from the Lady Chief Justice’s Office, it was confirmed that Joe McCrisken would not be hearing the inquest which was due to begin next month.
It was confirmed the inquest would be listed before another coroner, with details to be issued in due course.
The statement added that reporting restrictions were in place and that breaching them risked contempt of court.
“To protect the administration of justice and to guard against further prejudicial material being published which might impact negatively on the integrity of the jury process, the coroner has ordered that no details of the content and reasoning of the recusal decision be published in any publication of any sort without further order of the Court,” the statement read.
Noah (14) had been found dead in a storm drain in north Belfast in June 2020, almost a week after he had cycled to meet friends.
His mother, Fiona Donohoe, has campaigned for answers since his death and is hoping the inquest will bring clarity.
Mr McCrisken had been overseeing the preliminary stages for the case which was predicted to last up to six weeks.
The inquest had been set to take place last year, but was postponed after Mr McCrisken ruled it should take place with a jury following an application from Ms Donohoe.
