How many lawyers and how much time does it take to find out the truth?

Five years, 20 lawyers, 100 jurors, 3 months of hearings.. one mother who just wants the truth

ALLAN PRESTON AT CORONER’S COURT, Irish News, January 20th, 2026

ANALYSIS

A HEIGHTENED expectation surrounded the first day of the inquest into the death of Belfast schoolboy Noah Donohoe, but in the end his mother faced further delays as the slow pace of the justice system dragged on.

Sitting with around 20 lawyers and an empty public courtroom gallery, Fiona Donohoe waited as the day was spent vetting more than 100 potential jurors next door.

Journalists who were warned to expect limited space in court were finally admitted at 1pm, only to watch the clock and for the occasional scrap of information from passing lawyers.

Public interest and questions over the case have only grown since the 14-year-old was found dead in a storm drain in the north of the city six days after he went missing in June 2020.

Since then, posters for ‘Noah’s Army’ have been a fixture on lampposts across the north as Ms Donohoe has campaigned relentlessly and questioned the effectiveness of the original police investigation.

As well as many marches in support of the family, there has also been a crowdfunder to finance an independent documentary on his case.

There are few people in Northern Ireland not familiar with Noah’s story, with the lingering doubts over the death of a well-loved teenage boy provoking anger as well as many theories behind what actually happened.

With the press finally allowed into the crowded courtroom next door by 4pm, the coroner Mr Justice Rooney returned to confirm that a small number had been excluded in the painstaking process to select the final 11.

He told those remaining about the importance of their role and that they must make their decision on the evidence heard in court alone.

This was only to be discussed with other members of the jury, with those present forbidden from sharing details with others in any way.

Having previously issued a warning to the public about social media posts relating to the inquest, the coroner also told jurors to resist the temptation of conducting their own research – particularly from social media sources – as it may amount to contempt of court.

The inquest, expected to last up to three months, continues today.

Ludlow case raises serious questions for authorities

Pro Fide et Patria, Irish News, January 20th, 2026

ATTEMPTING to investigate the appalling events of the past in Ireland, north and south, is an extremely complex and sensitive process, which is often surrounded by claims that some victims are prioritised over others.

It always needs to be stressed that every killing, whether it involved loyalists, republicans or forces of the state, was not just wrong, but cruel, shocking and only capable of causing grief and bitterness on an enormous scale.

However, it cannot be disputed that, over many decades, some suffering families have not had the level of support from the authorities which they are entitled to expect as they try to establish the full circumstances behind the death of a loved one.

“It is not surprising that Mr Ludlow’s surviving relatives are entirely angry and disillusioned with judicial structures on both sides of the border, and at the very least it is essential that the ruling of the Irish DPP is reviewed as a matter of the utmost urgency

The case of Seamus Ludlow, as our comprehensive coverage yesterday set out, is a deeply disturbing one as it raises serious questions about the attitude of officials towards legacy issues on both sides of the border and particularly in the Republic.

Mr Ludlow, who was 47 and a forestry worker, was abducted close to his home just south of the border in Co Louth and subsequently shot dead on the night of May 1 1976, during a period of intense violence linked to paramilitary groups.

Loyalists with Army connections

Attempts were initially made by some Garda sources to suggest that Mr Ludlow had been targeted by the IRA as an alleged informer, but over a period of time it emerged beyond doubt that he had actually been killed on a random basis by loyalists who had close connections with the British Army.

Detailed evidence was compiled that the perpetrators were serving soldiers in the Ulster Defence Regiment, based in the north Down area, and also members of the illegal Red Hand Commando group, which was responsible for a range of other sectarian murders.

Although their identities were established, and arrests eventually made by the RUC in 1998, with two men allegedly making admissions and even drawing sketches of the murder scene, they were never brought to court.

The saga took many further twists over the years, with formal inquiries failing to make a breakthrough and revelations that key Garda files had gone missing until, in what appeared to be a blatant example of news management, the Ludlow family was notified late on the afternoon of December 23 last, on the brink of the Christmas holiday break, that the Irish Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) had finally decided no charges were to follow.

It is not surprising that surviving relatives are entirely angry and disillusioned with judicial structures on both sides of the border, and at the very least it is essential that the ruling of the Irish DPP is reviewed as a matter of the utmost urgency.

Almost 50 kids referred to social services following race riots in the past two years

LIAM TUNNEY, Belfast Telegraph, January 20th, 2026

POLICE SAY CRIMINAL EXPLOITATION FEARS PROMPTED ACTION

Almost 50 children have been referred to social services by the PSNI after race riots in Northern Ireland over the last two years.

They were referred under protocols designed to combat child criminal exploitation.

Serious disorder broke out following an anti-immigration march in Belfast city centre in August 2024, resulting in businesses and vehicles being burned and police officers coming under attack.

Rioting also broke out in Ballymena in June 2025 following allegations a young girl had been sexually assaulted in the area. The disorder lasted for several days, with violence also spreading to Larne, Portadown, Coleraine and Newtownabbey.

A Freedom of Information request provided to campaign group End Deportations Belfast has revealed 47 children have been referred under the PSNI's child criminal exploitation (CCE) procedures following the disorder.

Child criminals or criminals’ slaves?

CCE is recognised across the UK as a form of modern slavery, with more than 11,000 UK children referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) since 2014.

In its response, the PSNI said it had spoken to a total of 16 children following the August 2024 disorder, with referrals submitted for 14, while all 33 children spoken to following the June 2025 rioting were referred.

A report published by the Independent Reporting Commission (IRC) — the body that monitors progress on tackling paramilitary activity here — noted evidence of paramilitary involvement in racist incidents across 2024/25, including the riots.

The Commission noted an acknowledgement from police that there was “no doubt” about a paramilitary element to the disorder, but also that police “lack conclusive evidence” that the attacks were organised and sanctioned by the groups. A police spokesperson said tackling the influence of paramilitarism would require “huge collective efforts”.

They added: “Where police do encounter child protection concerns, the necessary referrals and safeguarding measures will be progressed under Child Criminal Exploitation guidelines.

“All safeguarding matters regarding children referred to the police come through the Central Referral Unit (CRU) and are assessed jointly with Social Services. These will then be referred to the appropriate department within the Police Service for action.

Role of Paramilitaries

“Those officers working with partners on the Paramilitary Crime Task Force (PCTF), are committed to tackling paramilitarism and have carried out extensive investigations, search operations and made a significant number of arrests resulting in convictions.

“Police remain concerned about the continuing existence of paramilitary structures and groups and are mindful that their influence is such that victims, including young people, may be reluctant, because of fear of reprisal, to come forward in the first instance, or to report on behalf of others.” Last month's IRC report noted that whether the protests were organised or not, the presence of paramiltaries was concerning.

“The reality is that the participation of individuals and groupings of individuals with clear links to paramilitarism in racist violence has undoubtedly served to exacerbate the situation in Northern Ireland in terms of anti-immigration unrest,” it said.

“This deeply worrying development, as we note elsewhere, is further evidence of the risks attached to the continuation of paramilitarism and its structures, and further underlines the urgency on bringing it to an end.”

Anti-racism group End Deportations Belfast said they were concerned racist violence was being used by paramilitaries for recruitment. “Child criminal exploitation is child abuse,” said a spokesperson.

“We understand that the PSNI say that there is no evidence to say that paramilitaries 'organised' or 'co-ordinated' the behaviour. If not paramilitaries then who exactly are the criminals exploiting the children? It is also important to note that in the last two years, both UN and European Commission bodies have warned that there is a seeming reluctance to investigate paramilitary involvement in racist violence effectively.

“In December, the IRC described the involvement of paramilitaries in immigration-linked racist violence in Northern Ireland as 'a deeply worrying development'.

“In 2020, a security assessment based on PSNI and MI5 intelligence estimated that loyalist paramilitary groups alone had 12,500 members. Child Criminal Exploitation through racist violence places children at risk of coercion and exploitation by paramilitary groups.

“We are deeply concerned that as well as devastating communities and lives, that racist violence and the exploitation of children to carry out such violence is a pipeline for paramilitary recruitment.

“We call for a new Independent Assessment on Paramilitary Groups to update the 2015 report. The full scope of paramilitarism, including in orchestrated racist violence must be mapped to ensure those groups involved are held fully accountable.”

Memories of the ‘Dolls Hospital’ and cherished toys from childhood

MÁIRÍA CAHILL, Irish News, January 20th, 2026

MY niece’s class was tasked with presenting a topic in school last week.

She’s seven and wanted to talk about toys and, while discussing this with my mother, asked her if she had a favourite toy.

My mother took her on her lap and told her a story about a little doll that she owned as a child in the 1950s.

It was named Denise, and my mother took the doll everywhere with her.

Denise had a ponytail carved into her head, and the word “pedigree” stamped on her back.

She was made of rubber – one of those dolls with arms and legs that you could remove, if you were particularly inquisitive, and then pop back into place.

“Sometimes, one of the eyes would fall out,” she said, laughing.

And then, she told her a story of the Dolls Hospital on the Grosvenor Road in Belfast.

Toys were not as plentiful as they are nowadays, and repair, rather than chucking out and getting another, was the order of the day.

Seamstresses at the Dolls Hospital would make clothes to fit your doll, or they would restring them with elastic, or replace broken parts until it was just like new again.

Then they would be wrapped in brown paper, labelled, and tied with string, ready to be reunited with their little owner.

There is a wonderful piece of archive footage online from 1965, showing Mary McDowell of the Dolls Hospital being interviewed by Leslie Dawes.

Lying beside her old Singer sewing machine are lots of doll heads. In the background are dolls of all shapes and sizes.

Sadly, neither the Grosvenor Dolls Hospital nor the one on Sandy Row exist any longer, but wasn’t it a great idea, rather than simply taking tired old toys to the dump, as we do now?

Thankfully, we do have repair cafes, which pop up all over the north, where adults and children alike can take things to be mended.

Staffed by volunteers, they fix most things, from bikes and kitchen gadgets to clocks, puppets, and more. According to their website, 66% of things on average can be repaired.

I love the idea behind them, not just because they reduce unnecessary waste and help do their bit to avoid a climate crisis, but because the human stories behind the items underscore how important a service they can provide.

Last year, the Newtownabbey Repair Cafe posted about a woman who brought in a doll that had belonged to her mother.

An old-fashioned plastic doll was found online to replace one lost by Máiría Cahill’s mother during a childhood fire

Volunteers understood that it was a “mission of the heart”, for the woman the doll had once belonged to was starting to lose her memory.

The doll was a connection to a time and place that sometimes adults retreat into, and this was evident when the doll, now fixed, was lovingly placed into the woman’s arms again.

“In an instant, something changed,” the post stated.

Reunited with past

“Her mother’s eyes lit up with recognition, her fingers tracing familiar features worn smooth by time… For a precious moment, she wasn’t a woman lost in memory – she was a little girl reunited with her dearest friend.”

It is enough to bring a tear from a stone, but it is also a wonderful example of the good that people can do.

We have far too much strife in this world, and it is useful to remind ourselves now and then of the ripple effect that kindness can have.

What would really improve it is a central hub where people could donate broken toys instead of dumping them, and then they could be repaired for children here, or shipped to other countries.

Fascinated with all of this talk of toys, my niece decided to talk about the dolls hospital and her Mamo’s doll to the rest of her class.

She needed to picture it in her head, and sat enthralled while my mother travelled her own memory lane, describing it in detail.

She then decided to search for a similar one online. To her delight, she found one for sale for £20.

She was tempted to buy it, but, at 70 years of age, felt slightly foolish.

My niece, full of the magic of a child who holds onto excitement about the little things, talked her into it. I am glad she did.

When she was a child, my mother’s original little Denise doll was lost to a house fire, which also tragically claimed a much-loved baby sibling and the family home.

And so, this new doll, when it comes, will provide more than nostalgia but a connection to a doll that existed in the happier part of her childhood.

I have a feeling that this doll will be as cherished as the last one, by both my mother and her grandchild.

Parents of suspended Laurelhill pupils call for CCTV evidence

DONAL McMAHON, Irish News, January 20th, 2026

PARENTS of 19 boys suspended from Lisburn’s Laurelhill Community College have called for an internal investigation including CCTV footage of alleged incidents at the centre of the school action.

The Education Authority has also been asked to step in by parents who say they are “defending” their children.

The male students were suspended for one day, January 9, with the principal raising “toxic masculinity” concerns amid claims of “intimidation” of female substitute teachers.

A group of parents, now representing all 19 boys, have given permission for a spokesperson to comment to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

The spokesperson said: “The initial reason (January 8) for 19 suspended students, all male, in one assembly was in the principal’s words, behavioural issues, laughing, being disruptive, making noises. The masculine toxicity was forced upon parents and mentioned for the first time on Monday 12 January.

“The 19 male students have never been accused of causing any harm, intimidation, sexual intent or malicious behaviour towards female students or teachers. As parents we know our children are not angels and will perhaps misbehave, laugh, giggle. However, they do not in any circumstance abuse, threaten or intimidate female teachers as evident in recorded parent teacher interviews.

Defending our children

“We are simply defending our children. We would ask for public support and to be mindful not to make assumptions or label these children.

“We are aware of the sensitivities surrounding this issue and fully support appropriate punishment in school and at home for negative behaviours.”

A number of fellow students who were not involved, but were present at the assembly, have now also contacted the LDRS to express claims of “unfair” suspensions with “girls also laughing” at the assembly, but only boys suspended.

The LDRS has also seen an official letter from a parent to the board of governors which raises concerns of their son’s “emotional and mental wellbeing” after being made to feel like a “villain”.

The parents’ spokesperson added: “We would also wish to inform the public that approximately eight students recognised their immaturity may have caused hurt so the boys took it upon themselves to locate their principal in a busy corridor to apologise.

“During parental communications, the principal first stated that she felt intimidated by these actions, now claims the boys did not approach her to apologise and if they did, she would have accepted that apology. We would appeal to the board of governors to investigate the use of corridor CCTV.

“Many of the 19 boys are now fearful to attend school, they are stressed and worried. While the EA states and promotes open communication, we look forward to hearing from them at some point regarding this matter.”

A spokesperson for the EA said: “The EA has been advised that a series of meetings with parents have been taking place. Issues of this nature are best resolved within a school community, rather than through public commentary.

“It is therefore important for pupils, parents/carers and schools to be given the space to work through difficult issues. We will continue to provide support to the school in maintaining a welcoming, safe and respectful environment for all pupils and staff.

“We can confirm that the board of governors will be carrying out a review into this matter.”

The last government’s Northern Ireland lawfare plan was unworkable. Labour will fix it

Veterans do not ask to be placed above the law but they deserve to be treated fairly

Hilary Benn, January 19th, 2026, Daily Telegraph

More than 3,500 people lost their lives in the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Among them were almost 2,000 civilians and more than 1,100 members of our brave security forces. Paramilitaries of both sides were responsible for the vast majority of the deaths.

Today, close to a third of the killings remain unsolved and too many families still do not know exactly what happened to their loved ones. They have waited decades for the truth, with trust ebbing away, as legal processes faltered, stalled and ultimately failed them.

The previous government’s legacy legislation was undeliverable. It was rejected by our domestic courts and it was wrong in principle to attempt to give immunity to terrorists.

Tomorrow I will be asking the House of Commons to endorse a remedial order to remove indefensible and legally defective provisions from the Legacy Act. This will provide confidence and clarity for families and veterans on two issues.

First, the Legacy Act removed the right of UK citizens to pursue Troubles-related civil cases, effectively blocking those affected by terrorist attacks on UK soil from seeking justice for what happened to them, their family or a loved one. This was simply wrong.

On Monday it was incorrectly stated in these pages that 800 civil cases will be reactivated by the Government, resulting in our veterans being dragged into the courts. This is simply untrue.

Almost 800 live civil cases continued unaffected by the last government’s Legacy Act. The legislation sought only to block any new claims, but this was rejected by our courts. And in practice Northern Ireland veterans rarely appear before the civil courts.

Civil cases have long been a means by which people can pursue action against the state. And they have also enabled truth and accountability for victims of terrorist atrocities including the Omagh bombing. Indeed, in the coming months Gerry Adams will face trial in a civil case brought by victims of the Old Bailey, Manchester and Docklands bombings.

It cannot be right to remove citizens’ ability to bring such actions.

Second, the Legacy Act proposed granting immunity, including to terrorists. This was abhorrent to the victims and survivors of terrorist violence and was rejected across communities in Northern Ireland. With the passage of time the prospect of prosecutions is diminishing, but the vast majority of those since the Good Friday Agreement have been for terrorist offences.

In the end, the immunity scheme was never commenced and then the courts intervened. So nobody ever claimed immunity, but it has created enormous legal uncertainty for families and also for our veterans because the protection supposedly offered by the Legacy Act for them turned out to be a mirage.

Let me be clear. There never has been and never will be any moral equivalence between our Armed Forces – who laid down their lives for this nation – and terrorist organisations.

In taking forward the replacement legislation that is now necessary, I am working closely with the Defence Secretary and Armed Forces minister.

A reformed Legacy Commission will enable families and victims of violence to seek answers. It will benefit, for the first time, from information shared by the Irish authorities, which could help solve murders that happened on UK soil, including the murders of members of our Armed Forces.

In our frequent discussions with those who served, they have been clear that they do not ask to be placed above the law. Our veterans understand the responsibility that comes with the uniform they have worn.

What they are asking for, and what they deserve, is a system that is fair and based on the rule of law. We are listening to them and will continue to do so.

And we are putting in place new and effective protections for our Northern Ireland veterans and former security personnel. These include an end to non-essential repeat investigations, an end to veterans travelling to Northern Ireland to share information and an end to cold calling or the unexpected knock at the door.

Since it was signed in 1998, the Good Friday Agreement has been a beacon of hope. But the issue of legacy remains unresolved. It is right that we debate the way forward but it must be on the basis of the facts.

There is now a legal necessity to legislate, and we must ensure we put in place a system that is fair, proportionate and deliverable for veterans.

Hilary Benn is Secretary of State for Northern Ireland