His notes from the time outlined how “scenario number one” was that Noah was “missing voluntarily” and he also stated that investigators initially had “very little information” about his disappearance.
Hutchings said the initial search had a focus on Cave Hill, because Noah had indicated his intention to meet friends in that area.
But he said the police had an initial expectation that a missing 14-year-old would be found around the streets of Belfast.
Asked about his reference in notes at the time to “inconsistencies in CCTV”, he explained that he had been told that other officers “believed” Noah had been captured on CCTV images.
He said his comments indicated that he did not want to hear that colleagues “believed” Noah appeared in the images and wanted certainty so that investigators would not embark on “a wild goose chase”.
The witness also described how he went to Northwood Road in north Belfast after the police received a report that Noah’s bike had been found.
He said he went behind one of the houses and found a culvert and then discovered that the hatch on the culvert was not secured.
He indicated that he subsequently requested a specialised team to conduct a search of the culvert.
The witness said he was of the view that because it was beside Noah’s last known location, they should expect to find him “close to” that area.