The BelTel

Individuals who ‘inserted themselves’ into the search for Noah Donohoe caused difficulties for police, the inquest into the 14-year-old's death has heard.   On Wednesday it was revealed that more than 100 volunteers helped search for the schoolboy.  One of those volunteers showed he could put his whole body through the bars leading to the culvert.  It was also said in court tha...

The trial of the man accused of murdering Natalie McNally is continuing in Belfast. 36-year-old Stephen McCullagh of Woodland Gardens in Lisburn, denies murdering Ms McNally. She was fifteen weeks pregnant when was killed at her home in Lurgan in December 2022. On Tuesday, the state pathologist outlined the injuries she sustained in a prolonged attack – including defence&n...

Police received an anonymous tip-off that Daryl Paul had Noah Donohoe's backpack, the inquest into the 14-year-old's death has heard.   The inquest also heard that there “is categorical acceptance that Mr Paul would not have interacted with Noah during his journey from south to north Belfast”.  Noah’s naked body was found in a storm drain tunnel in north Belfast, six days after...

The murder of a pregnant woman in Co Armagh a week before Christmas in 2022 has been described in a Belfast court as “planned, calculated and pre-meditated”.  32-yearold Natalie McNally was 15 weeks’ pregnant when she was attacked and killed in her Lurgan home.  36-year-old Stephen McCullagh, of Woodland Gardens in Lisburn, has denied her...

Seamus Culleton and his harrowing story of life inside an ICE detention centre in Texas made a big impact in Ireland. The Kilkenny man quickly gained the sympathy of Ireland’s public and politicians, only for the tide to suddenly turn as new developments emerged. So, how did Seamus Culleton go from “perfect victim” to publicly scrutinised? And is Micheál Martin likely to push Donald Trump’s immigr...

‘Don’t call Jeffrey Epstein a paedophile’ – that was the demand of a top NI lawyer to a London newspaper in 2011.    Paul Tweed was brought in to try and limit the damage to the sex-offender's reputation after he was released from prison.    The Belfast solicitor is one of the best-known libel lawyers in the UK and Ireland.     He has told the...

Andrew Mountbatten Windsor has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Vehicles believed to be unmarked police cars arrived at his home in Sandringham this morning, where he had been living following his departure from Windsor. The former prince was stripped of his title in October 2025 over his links to pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. Mountbat...

A former PSNI officer who searched the culvert in which the remains of Noah Donohoe were ultimately found has indicated felt the search operation had been as professional and as urgent as possible. He also said there had been “no suggestion or evidence he had ever gone into the culvert”. The inquest into the death of 14-year-old schoolboy&nbsp...

Conditions inside the pitch-black tunnel in which Noah Donohoe’s remains were found would be a very challenging place to survive if you were naked – a PSNI officer has told the inquest into the schoolboy’s death. 14-year-old Noah’s body was discovered in north Belfast on June 27, 2020, six days after the St Malachy’s College student went missing. On Tuesday...

The trial of the man accused of the murder of Lurgan woman Natalie McNally has begun.   32-year-old Natalie McNally was 15 weeks pregnant when she was stabbed to death at her home in December 2022.   35-year-old Stephen McCullagh, of Woodland Gardens in Lisburn, has denied the charge.      The Belfast Telegraph’s...

The North-Armagh crime outfit ‘The Firm’ will take matters into its own hands after convicted double killer Stephen Smith died in January. Smith passed away after a seizure at home but that followed him being injured in an attack in Armagh before Christmas. That incident is being linked to a rival crime gang based in Armagh City – and the Firm are...

Dr Katy Radford MBE is Northern Ireland’s first ever director of the Office of Identity and Cultural Expression. The office, created as part of the ‘New Decade, New Approach’ deal, says it aims to ‘promote and protect the cultural heritage of all communities in Northern Ireland’. Dr Radford was hired alongside Irish Language Commissioner...

Erika Kirk is rumoured to be visiting Northern Ireland as part of a tour to recruit young people to the conservative organisation founded by her murdered husband, Charlie Kirk. The organisation started out among conservative students on campuses across the US. It’s understood that former DUP MP Ian Paisley has been consulted about setting up a branch of...

Stormont should not be treated as a “soft-play area” for politicians, the SDLP leader Claire Hanna has said in an in-depth interview with the BelTel podcast. In it, she gave her views on Irish unity, on Stormont reform and on the SDLP’s chances of recovery.  Claire Hanna became the leader of the SDLP unopposed in October 20...

It’s been a rough week for prime minister Keir Starmer. First, the Labour leader offered a direct apology to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-trafficking network while declaring that “none of us knew the depth and darkness” of the relationship between Epstein and former British ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson. Then came the resignations of Morgan McSweeney and Tim Allan. Can Mr Starmer h...

Lauren Bradford-Clarke grew up believing her mother Lesley had taken her own life before finding out the truth – her father was a murderer. She was told her mum Lesley took her own life, eventually being told it was part of a ‘suicide’ pact with a man, Trevor Buchanan – the husband of the woman who would eventually become a mother figure to her. That woman was Hazel Stewart, how had been having an...

Former UVF man Mark Haddock has been released from prison in England. A serial killer, Haddock was previously the commander of the notorious Mount Vernon UVF gang. But the loyalist informer has been told he is a ‘dead man walking’ if he tries to return to home to Belfast – might he chance it?  The Belfast Telegraph’s security correspondent Allison Morris joins Ciarán Dunbar.  H...

Noah Donohoe’s appearance on a leisure centre’s CCTV footage appeared to have been “missed” by police in the first “critical” 24 hours after he went missing, an inquest has heard. The inquest into the death of 14-year-old schoolboy Noah Donohoe continues today. Noah’s body was discovered in north Belfast on June 27, 2020, six days after the St Malachy’s College student went mis...

A witness says she heard two screams the night Noah Donohoe went missing. Another witness said he saw a torch light on his window in the early hours of the following morning. The evidence was heard as the inquest into the death of 14-year-old schoolboy continues in Belfast.    Liam Tunney reports.    Among the evidence heard on Wednesday:    Consta...

A jury has cleared veteran Belfast business figure Frank Cushnahan of wrong-doing. He had been accused of dishonestly failing to disclose he was in line for millions of pounds from the sale of Nama’s Northern Ireland loans more than a decade ago. Cushnahan (84) may still face another charge, so what’s next for the Northern Ireland businessman?  Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Belfast Telegraph’s N...

The inquest into the death of Belfast teenager Noah Donohoe is continuing.  On Monday one witness testified she heard a “high-pitched scream” near to where Noah’s remains were found - on the night he went missing. Another said she was awoken by a noise at her back door of the handle being tried in the early hours of the morning. On Tuesday, the jury heard Noah’s mother Fiona Do...

A County Down man’s holiday in Greece has ended in a conviction for fatal bodily harm. Trinity law graduate Joseph Patrick Connolly has been found guilty of killing a university of Limerick student after a confrontation on the island of Ios in the early hours of August 30th, 2021. 21-year-old Niall O’Brien died after being punched twice in the head.    Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Mark Tig...

The Noah Donohoe inquest has been hearing from witnesses in the street near to where the 14-year-olds remains were found.   His body was discovered in north Belfast on June 27, 2020, six days after the St Malachy’s College student went missing as he cycled to meet friends.  Liam Tunney is covering the inquest for the Belfast Telegraph.  A...

An Eyewitness saw Noah Donohoe fall over handlebars of his bike the day he went missing – the inquest in his death has heard. Another witness recalled seeing Noah “with no top on”.  Liam Tunney is covering the inquest for the Belfast Telegraph, among the headlines from Thursday’s evidence:  New inquest witness said he believed Noah had no top on when he saw him  Witness sa...

Six months into his career as a politician, Jon Burrows has become the leader of the UUP unopposed. It’s understood the former PSNI officer had overwhelming support from the party’s rank and file membership nut he remains a relative unknown to the media and to the wider public. Jon Burrows joined Ciarán Dunbar in the BelTel studio.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy f...