Jury deliberations at the inquest of Belfast teenager Noah Donohoe have been adjourned on Monday afternoon.
Addressing the jury, the coroner told jury members it was a “really, really important time” in advance of resuming deliberations for a fifth day on Tuesday.
“Please do not go on news, do not go on social media,” Kevin Rooney said.
Earlier, at the beginning of Monday’s proceedings at Belfast Coroner’s Court, a juror was discharged.
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Rooney made the ruling and imposed reporting restrictions.
Noah (14) was found dead in an underground water tunnel in north Belfast in June 2020. He had left home six days earlier to meet friends, with his disappearance sparking a large search operation.
The inquest into the circumstances of his death began in January.
The hearing was adjourned in July following three days of evidence and an “unprecedented” late-night sitting.
Addressing the jury on Monday, the coroner said they must decide the case “solely on the evidence which you have seen and heard in court”.
“Put out of your mind rumours or speculation,” he said.
He told them “you are absolutely under no pressure of time”.
Ten questions have been presented to jurors on which they must reach a unanimous verdict. Among the questions they must consider is the date of Noah’s death and whether any errors made by police contributed to his death.
The St Malachy’s College pupil had cycled across the city from his home in south Belfast to the Northwood Road area of north Belfast on Sunday June 21st, 2020.
He abandoned his bicycle on a pavement at Northwood Road close to waste ground where a culvert entrance to an underground water system is located.
His body was found more than 600m downstream in the tunnel. He had previously been seen falling off his bicycle, as well as discarding his clothes and cycling naked.
A postmortem found that the likely cause of death was drowning.
The inquest began hearing evidence in late January and was expected to last until Easter. It has heard evidence from 76 witnesses and received statements from a further 42 people. Maps, video footage, photographs, police logs and expert reports have also been submitted.
Adjourning the hearing in July, the coroner warned jurors to “avoid all speculation and rumour”, particularly on social media, as they were “still in deliberation”.
“Please do not allow yourself to be contaminated in any way by outside influences,” he added.
In his lengthy summing-up of the case, Rooney previously said it was for the jury to decide whether PSNI errors were made in the search for the teenager and whether these could have contributed to his death.
