A Dublin woman who in 2019 posted a photo of one of Ana Kriégal’s killers online has been given a nine month suspended sentence at the Central Criminal Court.
Leeanda Farrelly (49) of Kilmartin Avenue, Tallaght, pleaded guilty to the charge of publication of a report likely to lead to the identification of a child involved in criminal proceedings.
Farrelly posted a photo of ‘Boy A’ the teenage killer of Anna who was 14 at the time of her death to a Facebook group with approximately 25,000 followers before deleting the post about 20 minutes later.
Sitting Judge Pauline Codd said that Farrelly had acted as “self-appointed judge, jury and executioner” when she chose to identify the underage killer and that in this case ‘ignorance of the law’ was ‘no excuse’.
The court heard that Farrelly has 23 previous convictions in relation to road traffic offences but took into consideration positive aspects of her character such as her love for animals and remorse expressed about what she had done.
Two teenage boys were sentenced in relation to the brutal murder of Anna which took place at an abandoned property in Lucan, County Dublin in 2019.
As Gript reported at the time, the then 15 year-old referred to as ‘Boy A’ was sentenced to life in detention, with a review of his sentence in 12 years.
The other party to Ana’s murder, referred to as ‘Boy B’ was also aged 15, was sentenced to 15 years, with the sentence to be reviewed after eight years.
Both boys were 13 years old when they killed the 14-year old girl in circumstances where ‘Boy A’ also violently sexually assaulted Ana.
He was given an eight-year sentence for the sexual assault which will run concurrently with murder sentence.
At the time of sentencing, Mr Justice Paul McDermott said this was a murder of the most serious, disturbing and shocking type.
Justice McDermott said that the denial of Ana’s right to life was at the core of this process and she should be remembered as the child, daughter, sister and friend she was.
He added that her short life should not be defined by the crimes committed against her.
“She was greater than that,” said Judge McDermott, and had a life she was living with energy, fun and imagination, dancing and music. “She was a lovely and loving child in a loving family.”
He said her family were bereft, and would suffer traumatic, devastating and lifelong consequences.
Sentencing ‘Boy A’, Justice McDermott said the mental terror and physical pain inflicted on Ana by ‘Boy A’ was of a very high degree, and that the sexual assault was degrading, and the attack prolonged, callous and brutal.
Regarding ‘Boy B’, the judge said that the aggravating factors included his role in calling for Ana and tricking her into going with him to her death. He watched as ‘Boy A’ stripped and assaulted her, the judge said, and then covered up his role by lying to the Gardai and his family.
Judge McDermott added that there was no evidence that either boy was suffering from a mental disorder, and noted that both came from secure, loving families. The horrific assault and murder were deliberately planned and there was little understanding or remorse, he said.
There was very little to dissuade the court from a very severe sentence, he added.
He said their cases would be reviewed after a time, and they had an opportunity to be given a second chance, ‘”something you denied to Ana”.