Three accused lose appeal over Ana Kriegel identification offence

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

Three people accused of breaching publication restrictions by identifying Ana Kriegel’s killers lost their appeal at the Supreme Court on 14 November 2024. The alleged online publications concerned the teenagers convicted of Kriegel’s murder in Lucan, Co Dublin.

The five-judge court unanimously dismissed their appeal against trial before a jury rather than in the District Court. The three had sought a further appeal after the Court of Appeal reversed a 2022 High Court ruling that had sent the matter back to the District Court for reconsideration.

The accused were charged under the Children Act 2001 with breaches of restrictions on identifying the boys. The Supreme Court held that the District Court judge could decline jurisdiction after concluding that the offences were not minor in character.