Noah laptop theft suspect ‘tried to sell it on twice’
Accused denied bail again after four breaches of his curfew in one week
A MAN accused of stealing Noah Donohoe’s laptop allegedly made two attempts to sell it while a major search for the Belfast schoolboy was continuing, the High Court heard yesterday.
Prosecutors claimed Daryl Paul tried to pawn the computer at a city centre store and also offered it to someone at a party.
Further details emerged as a judge was told the 33-year-old defendant intends to plead guilty to the theft of a rucksack containing the tragic teenager’s device.
But refusing bail again after Paul breached his curfew four times in a week, Mr Justice Scoffield said: “He has had more than enough last chances.”
Paul, previously of Cliftonville Avenue in Belfast, is not suspected of having anything to do with Noah’s disappearance on June 21 last year.
The St Malachy’s College pupil went missing during a bike trip from his home in the south of the city. His body was found in a north Belfast storm drain six days later. A post-mortem examination established that he died as a result of drowning.
Paul faces a charge of theft based on his alleged actions after finding the backpack Noah took with him when he left home.
Crown lawyer Adrian Higgins said staff at Cash Converters in Belfast informed police on June 24 that a man and woman had tried to sell the computer at Cash Converters in Belfast on June 24. Paul was subsequently identified on the store’s CCTV.
Later that day an anonymous caller reported being at a party where a man believed to be Paul was in possession of a rucksack containing a green jacket, school books with the name Donohoe on them and the laptop.
“The male had offered the laptop for sale to the person who made the call to police,” Mr Higgins said.
Police forced entry to Paul’s flat on June 25, recovering the rucksack and school books.
The defendant was in custody at the time for unrelated matters, and was spoken to as a witness.
He told police that he found the laptop and gave it to a female friend to look after for him. The computer was then located at her home, the court heard.
Paul s pent a number of months in prison, but was eventually charged following his release in November.
It was stressed that neither Paul nor the woman are believed to have spoken to Noah or been in his immediate space on the day he went missing.
“Police believe the bag was discarded by Noah and located by Daryl Paul,” Mr Higgins added.
During voluntary police interviews the woman stated that she stayed at Paul’s home on June 23.
“When they were leaving his home address the following morning he lifted a laptop and told her he wanted to pawn,” the prosecutors submitted.
“She said she assumed the laptop belonged to Mr Paul and he did not say otherwise.”
Paul told police he found the bag containing the laptop propped up against a wall. According to his account he took it home, realised there was a laptop inside but couldn’t switch it on.
“He stated there were a number of books in the bag which he didn’t look at in any detail, he didn’t know the bag or laptop belonged to Noah Donohoe and if he had known he would have made efforts to return it immediately,” Mr Higgins said.
Defence bar r i s t e r Tayl o r Campbell argued that bail had only been revoked due to curfew breaches which involved going outside for a smoke or being late home by a matter of minutes.