The State of Us

60. Witness accused of ‘untruth’

A special series from The State of Us podcast. In the summer of 2020, 14-year-old Noah Donohoe went missing in Belfast. Six days later his body was found in a storm drain. His disappearance and death have dominated headlines for five and a half years. The inquest into his death will, for the first time, lay out the facts and evidence in this case. In this special series from The State of Us podcast, Tara Mills and Declan Harvey take you inside the courtroom, bringing you the evidence as it unfolds each day. A police search advisor who co-ordinated the search for Noah on the nights after he went missing wasn’t asked about his role in the search until last month.

1. Jury sworn in

A special series from The State of Us podcast. A jury has been sworn in for the trial of Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and Lady Eleanor Donaldson. Jeffrey Donaldson has pleaded not guilty to all 18 charges he faces, including one count of rape. His wife, Eleanor Donaldson, faces a trial of the facts on related charges of aiding and abetting, which she has denied. Solicitor Sarah McKeown tells us about how a jury is put together. For more on the trial: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clypp609x1qo Subscribe now on BBC Sounds.

The Donaldson trial

A special series from The State of Us podcast. Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and his wife Lady Eleanor Donaldson have pleaded not guilty to a combined 23 sex abuse charges. Lady Donaldson has been declared unfit to stand criminal trial on mental health grounds. Instead she will face a trial of facts, in which a jury cannot find the person guilty but can decide if they committed the alleged offences. Solicitor Sarah McKeown talks us through how the court came to that decision and how the process will work. For more on the upcoming trial: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp8p274vmp4o

59. New video of night before

A special series from The State of Us podcast. In the summer of 2020, 14-year-old Noah Donohoe went missing in Belfast. Six days later his body was found in a storm drain. His disappearance and death have dominated headlines for five and a half years. The inquest into his death will, for the first time, lay out the facts and evidence in this case. In this special series from The State of Us podcast, Tara Mills and Declan Harvey take you inside the courtroom, bringing you the evidence as it unfolds each day. The jury is shown new CCTV footage of Noah in the streets around his house on the night before he disappeared.

58. Problems with time of death

A special series from The State of Us podcast. In the summer of 2020, 14-year-old Noah Donohoe went missing in Belfast. Six days later his body was found in a storm drain. His disappearance and death have dominated headlines for five and a half years. The inquest into his death will, for the first time, lay out the facts and evidence in this case. In this special series from The State of Us podcast, Tara Mills and Declan Harvey take you inside the courtroom, bringing you the evidence as it unfolds each day. An expert theory on the time Noah died was challenged today.