Parents of 13-year-old boy accused of killing Ana break down in tears
THE devastated parents of a 13-year-old accused of the murder of Anastasia Kriegel broke down in tears as they left the courtroom following a short hearing.
The boy was remanded further in custody, with gardaí instructing the court that they are awaiting formal directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
A short in-camera hearing at Dublin Children’s Court took place yesterday, following the initial charging of the boy last week.
Garda Inspector Mark O’Neill told Judge Brendan Toale that it was “a complicated case” and requested that the teenager be remanded in continuing custody to appear again on June 25.
The boy, who cannot be named because he is under 18, was charged with the murder of Ana Kriegel (14) on May 14 at an abandoned farmhouse, Glenwood House at Laraghcon, Clonee Road, Lucan in Co Dublin. He is one of the youngest people in modern Irish history to be charged with the offence of murder.
Her body was found three days after she had been reported missing by her parents.
Seeming tall for his age and with an apparently calm appearance in court, the teenager wore dark blue jeans, black runners and a white hooded sweatshirt.
He appeared to have a slight limp as he entered the courtroom and sat on the defendant’s bench beside his parents, whom he acknowledged with a brief smile.
His parents were accompanied in court by the boy’s grandfather, who was also seated close to him.
The teenager remained silent during the hearing, which was over in minutes.
Garda Inspector Mark O’Neill told Judge Toale that he was seeking a further remand “to obtain written DPP directions in this case”.
Complicated
Judge Toale noted from defence solicitor Donough Molloy that there was consent to the case being adjourned until June 25.
He then asked gardaí if the directions will be ready then.
Garda Inspector O’Neill told him that it was a “complicated case”.
“I’m not sure if we will have formal directions at that point. We will be making every effort to expedite matters,” Inspector O’Neill said.
The boy’s parents and grand- father each hugged him at the end of the hearing, before he was escorted out to await transfer back to the Oberstown Detention Centre.
His parents then left the courtroom, breaking down in tears.
Ana Kriegel was last seen alive in St Catherine’s Park at around 5.30pm on Monday, May 14.
A search began after she was reported missing that night and her remains were found three days later a short distance from where she was last seen.
It was found that she died from blunt-force trauma.
The 14-year-old girl was adopted from Russia aged two.
Mourners at her funeral service on Thursday heard that she had been a bright and vibrant girl who had loved music and dance.
Her parents Patrick and Geraldine had asked mourners to wear “sparkle and colour” which were a reflection of her personality.
A second juvenile male arrested last week during the investigation has been released without charge and a file will be prepared for the DPP.
At the initial hearing, the court issued a stern warning that if the boy’s name, school or address or a picture of him was reproduced on social media, it will result in a prosecution.