Noah computer theft accused back behind bars for ‘bail breaches’
Judge runs out of patience after court told of four broken curfews
A MAN charged with stealing tragic schoolboy Noah Donohoe’s laptop breached his curfew four times in the past week, a court heard yesterday.
Daryl Paul (33) was returned to custody after a judge said he had shown a complete disregard for his bail conditions.
Paul, with an address at Cliftonville Avenue in Belfast, is not suspected of having anything to do with Noah’s disappearance in Belfast.
He is instead accused of finding his rucksack and then trying to trade in a laptop computer it contained while searches for the 14-year-old were ongoing.
Noah went missing during a bike trip from his home in the south of the city on June 21 this year.
His body was found in a north Belfast storm drain six days later following a massive operation to locate him.
A post-mortem examination established that he died as a result of drowning.
Police claim Paul discovered the rucksack and contents by the side of a road on the day Noah vanished.
Two days later he allegedly tried to sell the laptop at a Cash Converters store.
PSNI officers alerted by the manager examined CCTV footage, forced entry to Paul’s home and seized missing belongings, it was claimed.
Two weeks ago Paul was granted bail on a charge of theft.
Since then, however, he has been repeatedly detained for alleged infringements of a nighttime curfew.
Police opposed any re-release as he appeared back at Belfast Magistrates Court following the latest incident on Wednesday night.
“This is the fourth breach inside seven days,” a detective said.
“He stated in the latest breach that he was out having a cigarette.”
Attempts were made to contact Paul by phone, the court heard, while checks confirmed that monitoring equipment installed at his property is working properly.
“It is clear he has been outside of the property several times last night,” the detective added.
Concerns were also expressed about any potential consequences for the defendant.
“Mr Paul obviously isn’t linked to the death of Noah Donohoe, but persons within the public are aware of him having the laptop, and we would have concerns for his safety and possible public order as well if he was granted bail,” the detective said.
Defence solicitor Una Conway argued it had been a minor breach, where her client went outside the house and was two minutes late for his curfew.
“He believes the equipment isn’t picking him up if he goes any sort of distance at all,” she said.
Ms Conway also stressed Paul spent six weeks in custody on an allegation of “theft by finding” before he was bailed under strict curfew conditions.
“Yes, there have been blips, but I would say there hasn’t been anything more than that,” the solicitor added.
However, District Judge Steven Keown disagreed with her description of Paul’s behaviour.
“He has had a complete disregard for those bail conditions,” Mr Keown said.
“In my view he has long run out of road and has no interest in abiding by his bail conditions.”
Refusing bail, he ruled that Paul should remain in custody until he appears back in court in two weeks’ time.