Boy, 13, accused of Ana Kriegel murder further remanded in custody

The boy, who cannot be named because he a minor, is accused of the murder of 14-year-old Anastasia Kriegel at Glenwood House, Laraghcon, Clonee Road, Lucan on May 14, contrary to common law.

He has been held in custody at the Oberstown detention centre in north Dublin since last Thursday when he was charged.

He faced his second hearing before Judge John O’Connor at the Children’s Court this morning and was remanded in continuing custody to appear again on July 31 next.

Anastasia, known as Ana, who was adopted from Russia at the age of two, left her house in Leixlip, at about 5pm on May 14, however, she did not come home and gardaí were alerted.

Her body was found at the disused farmhouse three days later.

There was a brief interaction between the judge and the boy during the short hearing this morning.

Entering the courtroom, the young boy, dressed in a grey hooded top, dark blue jeans and black trainers, nodded when the judge greeted him.

He sat down with his hands clasped in front of him on the defendant’s bench, close to his mother and father who were sitting beside his solicitor David Powderly.

“How are you getting on?” the judge asked the boy who quietly replied, “good”.

Detective Sergeant Damien Gannon told the court he was applying for a two-week remand.

“The file is with the DPP,” he said.

The judge acceded to the Garda’s request and noted the defence had no other application to make.

The boy nodded again and said “Okay” when the judge said “that’s it” and told him his solicitor could talk to him after the case.

At the teen’s first hearing on July 12, Detective Sergeant Gannon gave evidence of his arrest at the boy’s home that morning and being charged at Lucan garda station.

He had said the boy, “made no reply to the charge after caution”.

Due to the nature of the charge the Children’s Court does not have jurisdiction to rule on the issue of bail.

Special directions, necessary due to the boy’s age, had been obtained from the DPP, the court had been told.

At that hearing, which was the boy’s first time in a court, Judge O’Connor had said press reporters were aware of the reporting restrictions in the case.

However, he gave a warning directed at social media stressing the child had a right to a fair trial and the right to anonymity, a protection provided by the Children’s Act and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

He had warned that no details of the boy’s name, address or school or any photos that would identify him could be published.

Another boy, also aged 13, had already been remanded in custody on May 25 by the Dublin Children’s Court after being charged with the schoolgirl's murder.

On June 27, he was refused bail by the High Court. He is due to appear again at the Children’s Court on Monday.

In that boy’s case, Judge O’Connor had also issued a warning to social media users that any attempt to identify the teen would result in prosecution.

There has been no indication yet as to how either boy intends to plead.