A MAN accused of stealing Noah Donohoe's laptop has appeared in court on charges of theft.
Daryl Paul, 33, was seen on CCTV attempting to sell the laptop at a Cash Converters store two days after the teenage boy disappeared, The Irish Times reports.
It is not believed that the 33-year-old met Noah Donohoe at any stage, and he claims he found the laptop in a rucksack on the street on the day Noah vanished, 21 June 2020.
On 23 June, police received an anonymous tip-off that a man was in possession of a bag and laptop belonging to Noah Donohoe while the large-scale search for the 14-year-old was still underway.
Noah Donohoe went missing on 21 JuneMr Paul was in custody on unrelated matters when the tip-off was received, and he told police he had given the laptop to a friend; the laptop was then recovered from that friend, while the rucksack containing Noah's schoolbooks was taken from Mr Paul's property.
In Belfast Magistrate Court today, it was stressed that Mr Paul was facing charges of theft, and not for any involvement in the teenager's disappearance; police maintain that Noah Donohoe's death was a tragic accident.
Daryl Paul was remanded in custody for four weeks to appear in court again at a later date.
Belfast teenager Noah, a pupil at St Malachy's College, was reported missing on 21 June of this year, resulting a in a large-scale search being launched by the PSNI.
Noah's body was discovered in a storm drain six days later.
The search for the teenager led to a number of tip-offs from witnesses, including one who said they saw Noah fall from his bike and begin acting strangely, discarding his clothing before continuing up the road in North Belfast, leading investigators to believe he may have suffered a head injury.
Police say they do not suspect there was any foul play involved in Noah's death, but questions remain as to what happened in his final moments.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland has previously asked for speculation surrounding his death and disappearance to stop, as it was "extremely distressing" to his family.
