A boy accused of the murder of 14-year-old Ana Kriégel last year admitted to gardaí in interview that he had lied to them and made up a “fake story” about his exact movements on the day she went missing, his trial has heard.
He told gardaí he lied because he was “scared and nervous” and could not really remember where he walked with Ana that day.
The jury have been watching video recordings of the boy’s third and fourth interviews with gardaí which were conducted following his arrest on May 24th , 2018, a week after Ana’s body was found in an abandoned farmhouse in Lucan, Co Dublin.
Detectives spent the third interview showing the boy CCTV footage from the area where Ana was last seen on May 14th.
The boy, Boy B, had told investigators he had called to Ana at her home at about 4.55pm before they both went to meet his co-accused, Boy A, at a location in nearby St Catherine’s Park.
After showing him several pieces of CCTV footage from the area, gardaí put it to the boy that his account of his movements did not match what was picked up by several CCTV cameras in the area.
Gardaí said the footage showed it would have been impossible for Boy A to be in the location where Boy B claimed to have met him with Ana at a particular time.
No tricks
“Do you see how this is inconsistent? By that I mean it doesn’t match up with what you’ve told us so far,” an interviewing garda put it to the boy.
The boy responded: “Yes, I see.”
The detective asked him: “So will you please please please tell us the truth? “Just the truth, that’s all we want. Just the truth. There’s no tricks here.”
After a pause, the boy’s solicitor told gardaí: “ I think he’s remained silent so.”
At another point in the interview, Boy B said “strange, very strange” when shown CCTV of his co-accused walking in a certain direction in the park.
After the interview, Boy B was allowed rest for the night before the fourth interview which began at 10.11am on May 25th.
He started the interview by saying: “I’m going to retell the story of what actually happened. What I told you yesterday was a lie.”
The boy’s solicitor said his client had a chance to reflect on matters overnight.
Boy B went on to tell gardaí he and Ana met Boy A at a different location to the one he previously stated.
“This is where I actually met [Boy A]. While I was walking up to the BMX park I asked Ana to bring out her phone and show me the time. The time was 5.14.
“I let Ana talk with [Boy A] for a while. I stayed back for a metre to two to let them have some privacy while they talked.”
The boy said he did not know what they said to each other. “A little bit later I got bored and left. I went behind the changing rooms and got a drink. Then I went straight home. That’s the truth.”
‘I made it up’
“You gave us an account and we checked it with you and you were adamant about certain facts and certain routes,” an interviewing detectives put it to the boy.
“I suppose you want an explanation as to why?” the boy replied. “The reason I told you the fake story was because the first time I was with the guards on Tuesday I couldn’t really remember where I went so I made it up.
“I was scared and nervous. Once I made it up I thought to myself ‘well I can’t go back, I made a statement’. So I kept to the story.”
The detective told Boy B he had to tell them absolutely everything that happened that day.
“Were you in the house that day?” the detective asked, referring to the abandoned farmhouse where Ana’s body was found.
“No, on the day I wasn’t. But I was before,” Boy B replied. He agreed with the detective he had earlier said he visited the house with his friends the previous year.
“You know this location,” the detective said. “The only thing I find surprising is you described it in quite good details. I know you’re a bright young man, you’re an intelligent young man but you described it in great detail.”
The detective told the boy it wasn’t until he was “confronted with facts that you told the truth. Now you have to tell me everything, I mean absolutely everything.”
It is the prosecution’s case that Boy B lured Ana from her home at 5pm on May 14th, 2018 on the pretence of meeting Boy A, who she was “interested” in.
Boy A then allegedly violently sexually assaulted and murdered her in the derelict farmhouse as Boy B watched.
Boy A has pleaded not guilty to murder and sexual assault “involving serious violence” on May 14th, 2018, at Glenwood House, Laraghcon, Clonee Road, Lucan in Dublin.
Boy B has pleaded not guilty to murder on the same date.
The accused, who were 13 at the time of the alleged offence, are now both 14.
The trial at the Central
Criminal Court continues with evidence of Boy B’s interviews before a jury of eight men and four women.
The detective told the boy it wasn’t until he was “confronted with facts that you told the truth. Now you have to tell me everything, I mean absolutely everything.”
It is the prosecution’s case that Boy B lured Ana from her home at 5pm on May 14th, 2018 on the pretence of meeting Boy A, who she was “interested” in.
Boy A then allegedly violently sexually assaulted and murdered her in the derelict farmhouse as Boy B watched.
Boy A has pleaded not guilty to murder and sexual assault “involving serious violence” on May 14th, 2018, at Glenwood House, Laraghcon, Clonee Road, Lucan in Dublin.
Boy B has pleaded not guilty to murder on the same date.
The accused, who were 13 at the time of the alleged offence, are now both 14.
The trial at the Central
Criminal Court continues with evidence of Boy B’s interviews before a jury of eight men and four women.
Ana Kriégel accused admitted ‘fake story’ about movements, trial hears