CCTV IMAGES SHOWING one of the boys accused of murder walking with Ana Kriegel on the day of her disappearance were shown to the jury this afternoon.
Two boys, known as Boy A and Boy B, have pleaded not guilty to Ana’s murder. Boy A has also been charged with aggravated sexual assault – a charge he also denies.
Ana’s body was discovered in a disused house three days after she disappeared in May last year.
The jury was today shown CCTV evidence showing Boy A and Boy B walking together through an estate at 4.11pm on the day of disappearance.
It is alleged that Boy A murdered Ana and sexually assaulted her. It is the prosecution’s case that Boy B assisted the murder and knew what was going to happen.
Senior counsel Brendan Grehan in his opening statement said Boy B provided this assistance by luring Ana from her house to meet Boy A, knowing she wanted to meet him.
Prosecution said that Boy B knew that they were going on to meet Boy A in a “dirty, dark derelict house” and that he and Boy A made sure it was empty before entering.
The CCTV evidence
At 4.51pm, in the footage, is Boy B seen walking in direction of where Ana lived. At 5.01pm, we see Boy B and Ana walking together – Boy B is some yards ahead of her.
At 5.05pm: Boy A seen wearing gloves and carrying a backpack.
At 5.14pm: Two figures can be seen walking. Garda Timmons says he believes these two to be Boy B and Ana.
At 5.32pm: The mobile phone belonging to Ana was ‘pinged’.
At 5.49pm: Boy B allegedly seen walking back across a park.
At 5.56pm: Person walking through the park – believed to be Boy B.
At 5.57pm: Person seen holding a bag in their left hand similar to one carried by Boy A, according to Garda Seamus Timmins
At 6.03pm: Person seen – believed to be Boy A walking away.
Boy A statement to gardaí
The court earlier heard a statement given by Boy A to gardaí the day after Ana went missing.
On that date, 15 May, both boys gave statements to Leixlip Garda Station. The court was told today there were some inconsistencies in the accounts they provided to gardaí the previous day when asked exactly which route they took with her through a local park on the day she was last seen.
Boy A told gardaí that he finished school at the usual time and walked home from school with Boy B. He said he had a cup of tea and went out. Boy A said he walked over to the Boy B’s house but he was doing some chores so they arranged to meet in the park.
Boy A said he was in the park “for maybe a minute or two” when Boy B arrived. Boy B was in the company of Ana Kriegel.
Boy A, in his statement, said he knew Ana from school but did not know her well and that this was the first time he had been in the park with her.
He told gardaí that all three were walking very slowly and that he remembers talking to Boy B about video games, and that he wasn’t really talking to Ana.
The statement added that at one stage Ana said to him, ‘I have something to ask you’, and asked if he wanted to go out with her.
“I was surprised. It came out of nowhere. I did have an idea she liked me as she did kind of ask me out at the start of the school year,” he said in the statement.
I thought about it for a few minutes because I was going to say no and wanted to do it without hurting her feelings. I said to her that I was sorry but I wasn’t interested in her.”
Boy A said she didn’t answer and walked off soon afterwards. He said Ana looked annoyed and sad at the same time.
Boy A then turned to Boy B and said “that was a bit random” to which Boy B replied “yeah”.
It was then, according to Boy A, that they all parted ways.
The alleged assault on Boy A
Boy A said he was then walking up through the park when he became aware of two men walking behind him.
He said “it didn’t feel right” so he sped up, but that made the men behind him speed up.
Boy A told gardaí: “They caught up to me. One of them grabbed me by the shoulder and pulled me down to the ground.”
He said that he was being kicked numerous times in the chest and back but added:
After a minute I managed to kick one in the head and then they both ran off.
He then went on to describe both of the alleged attackers and said they were around 19 0r 20 years old. He said they did not demand any money or property from him.
Boy B statement
Earlier today, the court heard how Boy B told gardaí in a statement that he had “no idea” what happened to Ana.
In his statement to gardaí, read in court today, Boy B explained how Boy A asked him to call for Ana and bring her to the park so he could talk to her. Boy B said Boy A wanted to “sort out some relationship issues with her”.
He said he walked through the park with Ana and that they exchanged small talk. Boy B said he met Boy A and that he then stayed behind to give Ana and Boy A some privacy as they spoke.
Boy B said a small amount of time passed and he then saw Ana walking away. He said she seemed down and looked upset.
“I saw Ana turn back towards the changing rooms again – I did not see her after that or speak to her. I know Ana had her phone on her and it was switched on as I saw her checking it once or twice.”
Boy B, in his statement, said he did not see Ana again and went home and did his homework.
He said: “The first time I knew there was a problem with Ana was when the gardaí called to the house. I have no clue what happened to her.”
Garda worries
Earlier this morning, a garda sergeant described how he feared something was wrong when he saw the two boys accused of murdering Ana Kriegel share a look while showing officers where they went the day Ana disappeared.
Giving evidence to the Central Criminal Court, Sergeant Aonghus Hussey of Leixlip Garda Station was one of two gardaí walking with the accused asking them to show the route taken by the boys that day.
Sergeant Hussey said gardai were trying to establish their precise movements that day. He said at one point “there was some confusion” in their accounts and that then he “saw a look given between Boy A and Boy B which I was not happy with”.
“I felt immediately there was something wrong.”
Both Sergeant Hussey and Sergeant John Dunne who were walking with the boys, decided to split them up and speak to them individually.
Both boys would later go on to give statements to gardaí.
The court has previously heard that Ana’s body was discovered naked, except for socks on her feet and a tie around her neck which was made with a distinctive builder tape.
She had obvious head injuries and the scene was “bloody” and “blood-spattered”.
Prosecuting counsel Brendan Grehan described how her clothes were damaged, which he suggested showed that they were forcibly removed.
The prosecution said that a post-mortem revealed serious and extensive injuries to Ana’s head and neck. State Pathologist Marie Cassidy’s report would also find injuries suggesting attempted penetration of Ana’s vagina, Grehan added.
The trial continues.
Comments are off for legal reasons
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say