Coroner seeking Noah Donohoe Instagram messages to send Meta court order
By PA Reporter
A coroner investigating the death of Belfast schoolboy Noah Donohoe is to send a court order to Meta in a bid to access private messages in the late teenager’s Instagram .
Noah, 14, was found dead in a storm drain in north Belfast in June 2020 – six days after he went missing as he cycled to meet friends.
Coroner Mr Justice Rooney is presiding over the inquest for the St Malachy’s College pupil.
Noah’s mother, Fiona Donohoe, is hoping to get answers to some of her questions surrounding the death of her son through the inquest process.
At a preliminary hearing in Belfast on Friday, counsel to the coroner Peter Coll KC updated the court on correspondence with Meta about accessing information on Noah’s Instagram .
Mr Coll said there were two levels of access. He said Meta would provide certain data from the to Noah’s next of kin if it was given relevant documents, such as a death certificate. But the barrister said Meta had advised the coroner that in order to secure private Instagram messages, a court order would be required.
Mr Coll made clear that Meta had not indicated whether or not there were any private messages in the .
The barrister said the process to secure access to any messages that may exist may not be “straightforward”, given Meta was based outside the court’s jurisdiction.
But he said that the letter from the US social media company indicated a willingness to engage positively on the issue.
“There is at least a strong possibility that they would, if content with the format and the content of the draft order, that they would seek to comply with it, even if it was not something that could be strictly enforced against them,” he said.
“So hopefully that may provide a way forward.”
Brenda Campbell KC, representing Ms Donohoe, agreed that a court order should be drafted.
“The aim should be to get the fullest information by way of a court order,” she said.
“And the letter (from Meta) certainly leaves open the possibility of co-operation with the matter, notwithstanding that they are out of the jurisdiction.”
Mr Coll cautioned that it had taken some time for Meta to respond to initial correspondence from the coroner.
He added: “We’re slightly in their hands, and it did take quite a period of time, but, in fairness, the response that has come has been helpful, and represents significant engagements on the part of Meta, and that’s to be welcomed.”
Mr Justice Rooney told legal representatives that a draft order would be prepared by Tuesday of next week for them to review.
The next preliminary hearing was scheduled for June 17.
