Kriegel case has no made in Hollywood happy ending

BOY B’s withdrawal of his appeal against his conviction for the murder of Ana Kriegel means that he will go ahead now and serve his time, as will Boy A, who never appealed his life sentence with a review after 12 years.

It also means that Ana Kriegel’s mother Geraldine, who was present at the hearing, is spared another courtroom ordeal and the nightmare of being forced to relive in public the harrowing details of her little girl’s last hours on earth.

It’s doubtful though that Geraldine Kriegel’s wellbeing was a factor in Boy B’s change of heart.

If this was a Hollywood movie rather than the most disturbing Irish child murder in living memory, the last-minute decision might mean that Boy B had come to terms with his crime and was remorseful for Ana’s murder.

Nothing will ever make up for Ana’s cold-blooded murder and her family’s devastation but the two boys responsible were only 13 at the time and the movie would argue that it’s humane to hold out hope for their rehabilitation, rather than treat them as fully formed murderers who were just born evil.

Yet, in real life, that scenario is unlikely. Boy B has turned 18, he’s old enough to sit in the witness box rather than in the body of the courtroom with his parents.

Had his appeal gone ahead and his conviction been overturned, it’s likely he would have been retried as an adult and potentially face the mandatory life sentence for adults convicted of murder.

His sudden change of tactic likely arose from hard-headed calculation and self-interest rather than any mercy towards the Kriegels.