Overview
- The nine-member jury returned unanimous findings after five days of resumed deliberations, recording that Noah died in the culvert between about 7pm and midnight on the night he left home.
- A post-mortem concluded the cause of death was drowning and the jury agreed this was when he died, not after he was reported missing the following day.
- Jurors found no police failings that contributed to Noah’s death but listed 13 investigative errors that limited the inquest’s ability to answer key questions, including failures to secure or review CCTV promptly, delays in searching the culvert, and poor recording of house-to-house inquiries.
- The jury said it was possible, though not probable, that the Department for Infrastructure’s management of culvert access helped Noah get into the tunnel because the inlet was covered only by a debris screen and lacked warning signage.
- The coroner read the findings in court, thanked and excused the jurors, and adjourned the inquest while a small number of procedural matters remain to be dealt with; Noah’s mother and her campaign for answers have kept public attention on the case since 2020.