Noah Donahoe: Cost of inquest to public purse revealed
One such delay was caused by an issue regarding a member of the jury, the details of which could not previously be reported due to restrictions issued by the coroner.
As members of the jury began their deliberations in late June and early July, jurors raised concerns about one of their number, referred to as Juror A.
They said Juror A was introducing theories not based on evidence heard in the inquest and was unfit to be part of the process.
These theories included that Noah Donohoe was trying to communicate with Juror A, that Noah had been influenced to enter the culvert by watching the bobsled at the Olympics, and that Noah’s body may have moved down the culvert by a similar process to that used by ancient Egyptians to build the pyramids.
On the basis of these concerns, legal representatives of Fiona Donohoe, Noah’s mother, made an application to have the juror removed.
With the jury unable to reach a verdict after three days, the inquest was adjourned over the summer due to the holiday plans of some of the jurors.
When the inquest returned in September, the coroner, after investigating the claims against Juror A, took the decision to discharge him on the basis that he had carried out his own research and engaged in speculation, rather than relying on evidence presented in court.
Meanwhile responding to the figures a DfI spokesperson said: “You cannot put a price on a mother seeking answers for her child. The department is determined that all lessons are learned.”
Separately a DoJ spokesperson said: “!Legal aid enabled participants to be represented at this inquest. The conduct of the inquest is a matter for the coroner. The costs paid have been assessed as reflecting work which was reasonably undertaken and properly done.”
