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A 14-year-old who was found dead in a derelict house last year was allegedly sexually assaulted and murdered by a teenage boy while his friend watched 'voyeuristically', a court heard.

Ana Kriegel's naked body was found in Lucan, Co Dublin, days after she went missing in May last year.

Jurors at the Central Criminal Court in Ireland were told how the teenager had suffered a devastating violent assault and the scene was “bloody and blood splattered in a downstairs room not much bigger than the jury box”.

Two 14-year-old boys, who cannot be identified because of their age, have pleaded not guilty to the schoolgirl's murder.

One of the accused, Boy A, is also charged with aggravated sexual assault, which he denies.

On the first day of the trial, prosecutor Brendan Grehan, said a “homemade zombie mask” was found in the possession of Boy A, along with knee pads, builder’s tape, shin guards and gloves inside a “distinctive backpack”.

He said police found Ana's torn clothes that showed signs they were forcefully removed scattered in the room along with her broken phone.

A post-mortem exam found Ana suffered head and neck injuries and there was attempted penetration of her vagina.

Mr Grehan said a forensic examination found items of clothing and DNA traces that would match with Boy A.

The court heard the prosecution will call evidence to show both boys acted in a joint enterprise.

It’s alleged Boy B stood by and watched “voyeuristically” as Boy A murdered and sexually assaulted Ana.

Mr Grehan also said Boy B sourced the builder’s tape to be used as the ligature.

The prosecution will allege Boy B had convinced Ana to accompany him to Saint Catherine’s Park to meet Boy A.

It would be claimed Boy B used the excuse that Ana was meeting his alleged accomplice because she had a romantic interest in him.

Mr Grehan added the prosecution would submit the plan was to facilitate the joint enterprise murder of Ana.

They will also tell jurors that Boy A was seen by witnesses “limping with blood on his clothing and on his face”.

It’s claimed he told his parents and friends he was attacked by two older men and had fought them off.

Prosecutors will also allege a forensic examination found Boy A’s semen on Ana’s clothing and also DNA on the ligature.

He said they would further allege that both boys conspired to carry out the murder.

(Image: Colin Keegan)

He said Boy B “aided and abetted, he assisted or helped it to happen, knowing what would happen”. Mr Grehan claimed both defendants made sure the derelict building was empty.

He said Boy B lied repeatedly to gardai and his denials were “not credible”.

Ana's mother, Geraldine Kriegel, told the court how her daughter was left terrified by people who "endlessly bullied" her.

Geraldine said her 14-year-old daughter struggled to make friends and was targeted by bullies.

Ana, who was adopted from Russia when she was two and a half years old, had a tumour in her right ear which had affected her hearing "very badly".

In 2010 she underwent a five-hour operation to remove the tumour.

"She could hardly hear in her right ear and she had poor eyesight," her mother said.

Her heartbroken mother also told the court how her daughter was a member of a local dance group, which she loved.

"Dancing was her passion, she loved it," Mrs Kriegel said. "She spent hours in the front room practising her dancing, listening to music and singing. She sang and did gymnastics and she was a great swimmer."

"She was incredibly excited to start (secondary school). We were hoping she would make friends in the community."

(Image: Colin Keegan)

She told the court that Ana's primary school teacher rang her and her husband Patrick to express concerns about Ana going to college.

"The resource teacher said she was was terrified for Ana going to college because she was so vulnerable and innocent in her manner that children might make a mockery out of her.

"She was so concerned people might take advantage of her. She said we should ring the principal and we did. We expressed our concerns about her vulnerability. She didn't mix well and was a bit of a loner."

Her mother also told the court that Ana was cyber-bullied by a number of older students.

"(They) sent awful messages," she added.

Mrs Kriegel took screenshots of some sexually explicit messages sent to Ana and brought them to the attention of the school principal.

Ana received other "rude messages" about her height and how she had a "fake mum and dad".

"There were awful, insulting things to make her feel small," Mrs Kriegel added.

She told the court that Ana created a YouTube account and uploaded videos of her dancing, but these also attracted nasty comments.

(Image: Collins Photo Agency)

"One said he would have her executed," she added. "Another said 'go die'."

She also described an incident in which Ana was attacked by four boys in October 2017, when she was 13, after one of them asked her to have sex with him.

"He hit her on the bum and she panicked and ran home. She was hysterical, she was really frightened. I held her for an hour," she said.

Mrs Kriegel said Ana was not academic as she struggled with her hearing and eyesight, but she volunteered in many areas, helped younger students and took part in a modelling fundraiser.

The court also heard evidence from Mrs Kriegel's son, who was one of the last people to see Ana alive.

Witness one told the court that he answered the door to Boy B on the day she went missing in May last year.

The then 12-year-old said he went to her bedroom to tell her that Boy B had called for her.

Asked what her reaction was, he said: "She was kind of confused. She just said, 'Are you sure it's for me?"'

Ana spoke to Boy B at the front door for around five minutes, the court heard. She then left the house saying she was going out and would not be long.

The court heard that after Mrs Kriegel returned home and found that Ana was out with Boy B, she texted and rang her daughter a number of times but could not reach her.

The family searched the area for a number of hours before contacting gardai to report her missing.