Ana Kriégel hit several times with weapon as she lay on floor, trial told

Ana Kriégel was struck several times with a weapon as she lay on the floor of the derelict house where she died, the trial of two 14-year-olds accused of her murder has heard.

The 14-year-old girl was also struck while standing up in the room, according to blood pattern evidence presented to the Central Criminal Court.

Ana’s body was found in a front room of an abandoned farmhouse in Lucan, Co Dublin on May 17th, 2018.

John Hoade, a blood pattern and DNA specialist from Forensic Science Ireland, told prosecuting counsel Brendan Grehan SC that four types of blood patterns were found in the room including impact patterns on the walls.

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The witness said these patterns can result from an object or weapon striking liquid blood, causing it to fly through the air. It can occur when an assault causes bleeding or a strike impacts an area which was already bleeding.

He said cast-off patterns, caused when blood is released from an object during its motion, were also found on the wall. This often occurs during an assault with a weapon when blood flies off the weapon as it travels through the air.

Mr Hoade said a saturation blood stain was found on a carpet to the left of the door into the room and that these occur when blood accumulates on an absorbent surface.

Moved

He said the patterns indicate Ana was struck several times while lying to the left of the entrance to the room. She lay there for a period before being moved further into the room where she was eventually found.

“Her body had been moved from the area where she bled out to where her body was discovered,” the witness said as he went through photographs from the scene.

Blood stains at four other locations indicated Ana was also assaulted while standing upright at the back of the room, Mr Hoade said. This was indicated by the fact that these stains were higher up than the others.

He also found a “swipe pattern” along the skirting board of the room. This type of pattern is caused by a blood bearing object transferring blood to another surface, for example wiping a blood stained hand along a surface, Mr Hoade said.

“This indicates [Ana] was in contact with this area while bleeding or that an item wet with her blood was in contact with this.”

A further stain at first appeared to indicate blood had been spat out or “expirated”. However, Mr Hoade said he could find no traces of saliva in the stain.

“I can’t determine how it got there but it doesn’t look like it was spat out.”

Mr Hoade stood by a large television screen depicting a 3D model of the room so he could indicate to the jury where blood was found in the room.

He said there were seven areas of blood-staining found on the walls and floor in total and that DNA tests showed all of this blood belonged to Ana.

The jury also heard from Det Garda Gabriel Newton, who took possession of the clothes worn by the two accused on the day Ana went missing.

Alleged assault

At the time Det Garda Newton was investigating an alleged assault on one of the boys, Boy A, by two unidentified males. The boy told gardaí he was attacked shortly after leaving Ana’s company in St Catherine’s Park in Lucan.

She said on May 16th she called to Boy A’s house and informed him and his mother they needed to take the clothes for analysis as part of the assault investigation.

Boy A’s mother told Det Garda Newton the clothes had been washed twice to get rid of his blood after the alleged assault. She had also soaked his white top overnight.

The boy’s boots and iPhone were also taken. Det Garda Newton said his mother asked that the boots be returned as soon as possible. The detective identified the clothing in court, including a white polo neck shirt which she said had slight blood staining near the collar.

The witness also identified clothing and a phone belonging to Boy B which she said she took possession of on May 17th. By that stage Ana’s body had already been found.

Det Garda Newton agreed with Damian Colgan SC, defending Boy B, that Boy B said “he wasn’t happy he was being involved in the incident because Ana had been found dead in the park”.

It is the prosecution case that Boy B lured Ana from her home at 5pm on May 14th, 2018 on the pretence of meeting Boy A, who Ana was “interested” in.

Boy A then allegedly violently sexually assaulted and murdered her in the derelict farmhouse as Boy B watched, the prosecution claims.

Boy A has pleaded not guilty to the murder and sexual assault “involving serious violence” of Ana on May 14th, 2018, at Glenwood House, Laraghcon, Clonee Road, Lucan. Boy B has pleaded not guilty to the murder of the girl on the same date. The accused boys were 13 at the time of the alleged offences.

The trial continues on Wednesday before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury of eight men and four women.