Courts / Dublin / Report

Journalist fined €2.5k for on-air naming of Ana Kriegel murderer

Date
2019-07-01

Stage
Sentence

Primary locality
Lucan

County
Dublin

Summary

In a Central Criminal Court ruling, Mr Justice Paul McDermott fined journalist Niall O'Connor €2,500 after he inadvertently named one of the boys convicted of Ana Kriegel's murder during a live Red FM interview. The station was fined €10,000. O'Connor, who was a guest on the Neil Prendeville show the morning after the convictions, apologized unreservedly, stating the slip was a mistake and not intentional. The DPP's Brendan Grehan noted that the boys, aged 14, could not be identified, and the court had taken care to refer to them as Boy A and Boy B. The judge imposed the fine or a three‑month prison term if unpaid, and the broadcaster was ordered to pay within three months. The case highlighted the court's protection of minors and the broadcaster's subsequent implementation of a seven‑second delay to prevent future incidents.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Journalist fined €2.5k for on-air naming of Ana Kriegel murderer. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

14th May 2018 Incident
2019-07-01 Publication

Case subjects

Ana Kriegel

Convicted Person

Outcome: The radio station, Cork's Red FM, was fined €10,000.

Niall O'Connor

Convicted Person

Outcome: Credit: Collins) A journalist has been fined €2,500 by a Central Criminal Court judge after he named one of the boys convicted of Ana Kriegel's murder during a live radio broadcast.