A teenager found guilty of the murder and aggravated sexual assault of Ana Kriegel has become the youngest child in the history of the State to be handed a life sentence.

Yesterday, Mr Justice Paul McDermott imposed a life sentence on Boy A, with a review to take place after 12 years.

The judge also imposed a fixed sentence of eight years for Boy A’s aggravated sexual assault of the schoolgirl, to run concurrently with the sentence for murder.

Boy A’s lawyer Patrick Gageby SC asked the judge to extend free legal aid for an appeal, and this was granted. Boy A has 28 days to lodge an appeal.

The teenagers, who are now 15 years old, were found guilty in June of the murder of Ana Kriegel at an abandoned farmhouse in Lucan on May 14, 2018.

Boy A was also convicted of aggravated sexual assault.

The teenagers, who were just 13 at the time of the murder, had denied the offences.

The boys are the youngest people in the history of the State to be convicted of murder.

Judge McDermott backdated the sentences to a date in June when the teenagers were convicted of Ana’s murder.

If he does not appeal the conviction, Boy A will be at least 26 before he is eligible for release.

The judge said reporting restrictions on identifying the boys remained in place.

He also offered his condolences to the Kriegel family.

At last week’s sentence hearing, the Central Criminal Court heard that Boy A now accepted he caused Ana’s death – but still denied sexually assaulting her.

In a victim impact statement, Ana’s mother Geraldine said her daughter was “wild and wonderful, electric, so full of fun, madness and laughter”.

Yesterday, Judge McDermott said Ana’s short life should not be defined by the crimes against her, as her life was greater than that.

He said she was a “lovely and loving child”.

Her family was bereft at her loss, and the consequences of her death were “traumatic, devastating and lifelong”.

Judge McDermott said the psychological and psychiatrists reports prepared on the teenagers had been of great assistance in determining a sentence.

In relation to Boy A, Judge McDermott said he came from a loving, stable and caring family.

Judge McDermott said the assault on Ana was “prolonged, callous and brutal”.

He also described it as “sustained and vicious”.

The court heard Boy A had no history of a mental disorder. He had a type of dyslexia and suffered from attention deficit disorder, but these were not explanations for his behaviour.

Judge McDermott said Boy A now accepted responsibility for assaulting Ana, but said he was not satisfied Boy A had told the truth as a good deal of what he’d said had been self-serving.

Boy A told medical experts he had not intended to kill Ana and he claimed that there was consensual sexual activity, the judge noted.

Aggravating factors included Boy A’s not guilty plea, his limited appreciation of the enormity of what he had done, and the fact he did not accept there had been any planning or preparation.

Other aggravating factors included the story Boy A had invented about him being attacked in the park by two young men.

Apart from Boy A’s age, the judge said it was hard to see many mitigating factors.

In the case of Boy A, Judge McDermott said the headline sentence was a life sentence. He said there should be a review after 12 years.

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