Louise Heaney gets suspended sentence for identifying murderers

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Louise Heaney received a fully suspended 18-month sentence for identifying the boys convicted of Ana Kriégel’s murder, after pleading guilty to publishing their photos in breach of the Children’s Act 2001 at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court; the report was published on 9 March 2022.

The photos were posted on Facebook on 18 June 2021. Heaney admitted sharing the image, which she removed shortly afterwards.

Judge Martin Nolan described the offence as serious because the court had prohibited material that could identify the boys. He took account of the offence’s lower-end nature and the likelihood that few people would see the photograph, while suspending the sentence in full on strict conditions.