Ana Kriégel murder co-accused told counsellor he was ‘dragged into mess’

A boy accused of the murder of Ana Kriégel told a guidance counsellor the day after she went missing that he had been “dragged into this mess” by his co-accused.

Boy B also told the counsellor around 10 times that he was not the last person to see Ana on the day she went missing.

The boy’s co-accused, who was also 13 years old at the time, told another school staff member he was nervous and anxious in the days after Ana went missing.

This boy, Boy A has pleaded not guilty to the murder and sexual assault “involving serious violence” of Ana Kriégel on May 14th, 2018, at Glenwood House, Laraghcon, Clonee Road, Lucan in Dublin.

Boy B has pleaded not guilty to the murder of the girl on the same date.

The accused were 13 years old at the time of the alleged offence and are 14 years old now.

It is the prosecution case that Boy B lured Ana from her home at 5pm on May 14th, 2018, on the pretence of meeting Boy A, who Ana was “interested” in. Boy A then allegedly violently sexually assaulted and murdered her in the derelict farmhouse as Boy B watched.

A “critical incident meeting” was held at the boys’ school the day after Ana went missing, a staff member told Brendan Grehan SC, prosecuting.

All first years in the school were asked if they knew anything about her disappearance, the witness said. Afterwards she met Boy A to offer him support as she knew he was one of the last people to see Ana.

Boy A told her he was in pain because he was beaten up in the park by two men in their 20s. He said he had met Ana that day to tell her he was not interested in her. She “gave him a look and stormed off”, he told the staff member.

“He mentioned he wasn’t friends with Ana he barely knew her,” she said.

In another meeting he said he was having trouble sleeping and had lost his appetite.

A guidance counsellor said he had spoken to Boy B to offer him support. He told her he was not very good friends with Boy A. He suggested “a theory” that the men who attacked Boy A may have “taken or kidnapped” Ana.

The boy told the counsellor he was “doing a turn for a mate” when he went to get Ana for Boy A that day.

The counsellor agreed Boy B told her he was not the last person to see Ana alive about 10 times during their meeting.

“He was very articulate and calm and said he felt dragged into this situation, into this mess.” He said he did not want to be involved. The witness agreed with counsel that the boy never clarified what he meant by “this mess”.

Earlier, the trial heard Ana suffered a “very horrific death” resulting from blunt force trauma to the head and neck.

Former State pathologist Marie Cassidy spent Thursday morning detailing a list of more than 60 areas of injury found on the 14-year-old’s body.

The two accused were excused from the court for the duration of Prof Cassidy’s evidence.

She told Mr Grehan the body was found naked in a derelict building on May 17th, 2018, amid evidence of a violent assault.

There were “severe and extensive injuries” to the head and neck and attempted penetration of the vagina, Prof Cassidy said.

There was also evidence of asphyxia caused by broad pressure on the neck such as an arm hold, “or even a foot”. This alone could have caused her death, Prof Cassidy said. The tape found around Ana’s neck was not used to strangle her, she said.

There were four separate impacts to the skull but the bone was largely intact. The head injuries could have been caused by “a fairly heavy object with a small striking surface” or the corners of a bigger object.

There were extensive facial injuries which could have been caused by something “long and large and fairly heavy”. These blows would have knocked Ana out and could have been fatal on their own. She would have lost a large amount of blood.

A series of injuries to her arms indicate there was a struggle or she was trying to defend herself, Prof Cassidy said. Scratches to her body could have been caused by a struggle or her body being dragged.

Ana had eaten between two and four hours before but there was no way of telling the exact time of death, the witness said. She was a very healthy girl with no evidence of drugs or alcohol in her system.

There were injuries suggesting attempted vaginal penetration. Prof Cassidy said she could not determine how these were caused or if they occurred in the course of “consensual” activity. The postmortem showed Ana was not previously sexually active, she said.

Prof Cassidy agreed with Damian Colgan SC, defending Boy B, that it was a “horrific death” which would have traumatised anyone who witnessed it.

She agreed with counsel for Boy A, Patrick Gageby SC, that the tape found around her neck had left marks but had not been used to asphyxiate Ana.

The trial continues on Friday at the Central Criminal Court before a jury of eight men and four women.