“It was unprecedented. None of us have seen anything of this nature in our time and hopefully will never see anything of its nature again.”
On the day that Boy A and Boy B became the youngest people in the history of the state to be convicted of murder, Gardaí described the psychological impact of the Ana Kriegel case in sobering fashion.
Speaking at a media briefing at Kevin Street Garda Station on Wednesday afternoon (5 November), Superintendent John Gordon noted that counselling services have been made available to staff who worked on the investigation.
“Certainly for me it was unprecedented,” Gordon said, referring to the nature of the case.
“None of us have seen anything of this nature in our time and hopefully will never see anything of its nature again,” he added.
Asked directly if working on the investigation had “changed” those involved, Gordon paused briefly before stating:
“Yes.”
As they did as the trial unfolded, Gardaí stressed the civic duty of the public to not disseminate imagery via social media that could lead to the identification of Boy A and Boy B, who cannot be named for legal reasons.
Gordon said that both were entitled under the law to anonymity and that special arrangements were made due to the vulnerable age of the boys, “who were suspects like anyone else” at the time of the investigation.
The measure was a protective one for Boy A and Boy B, as well as for their families and the Kriegel family. “I believe it had a positive effect,” said Gordon.
A separate investigation has been opened following the distribution of related images on social media, with a file sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions. Gardaí declined to comment further on this matter.
Asked if they were any closer to establishing the reasons why the murder occurred in the first place, senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Mark O’Neill conceded that it “hasn’t been possible so far”.
Elaborating on the special arrangements made, Superintendent Gordon stated that Boy A and Boy B were housed in separate stations, while rental cars were used by investigators as opposed to unmarked cars, so as not to be as easily identifiable. In addition, black bin liners were utilised during searches in place of standard evidence bags.
Gordon confirmed that it became apparent that the crime was committed by young assailants “in the very early stages of the investigation” following the post-mortem examination of Ana Kriegel’s body.
Asked if 18 hours was a notably long time to wait before “stepping up” the investigation, Gordon said that the initial enquiries in Leixlip “moved at pace” and didn’t reach personnel in Lucan until 18 hours later.
“It was important to escalate it from there,” he said.
The two boys convicted of the murder of 14-year-old Ana Kriegel were sentenced at the Central Criminal Court on Wednesday.
Boy A received a life sentence that will be reviewed after 12 years.
Boy B was sentenced to 15 years detention with a review after eight years.
Passing sentence, Mr Justice Paul McDermott said that Ana Kriegel’s life was and is of “supreme importance” and her short life should not be defined by the crimes committed against her.
“The two boys bear responsibility for her murder and must be accountable and accept the consequences of their crimes,” noted the judge, adding that this was a murder of the “most serious, disturbing and shocking type” because of the extreme violence used.
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