A Garda who found Ana Kriegel's body thought he had found either a "mannequin or something terrible", a trial heard.

The schoolgirl's naked body was found in a room in a derelict house in Lucan with blue tape around her neck.

Three of her fingers were inside the ligature or "noose", as if she was "pulling it away", Sergeant Declan Birchall said.

The jury was shown a blood-stained concrete block and a blood-stained length of timber, which gardaí said were recovered from the room where Ana's body was found.

They were also shown a 3D reconstruction of the crime scene.

The two youths, aged 13 at the time, have pleaded not guilty to the murder of Ana (14) at Glenwood House, Laraghcon, Clonee Road in Lucan, Dublin, on May 14 last year.

One of the boys, Boy A, has also denied a charge of aggravated sexual assault.

In his evidence, Sergeant Declan Birchall said he was in charge of the Divisional Search Team on May 17, 2018, and had been tasked to search the park for any signs of Ana, who was missing.

Sgt Birchall said the team of four had arranged to meet at the entrance to the park at 12 noon.

There were a number of derelict buildings in the area, and it was planned to search them.

Sgt Birchall said he and his team were searching Glenwood House and its outbuildings when one of his colleagues said he may have found something in the main house.

Sgt Birchall said he went into Glenwood House through the back door and into a room at the front of the house.

Asked by prosecutor Brendan Grehan SC what he saw, Sgt Birchall said he saw the "body of a female lying on the floor".

She was naked except for a pair of black socks, the court heard.

Sgt Birchall said he could not see Ana's face and he believed there was something across her face.

When he got closer he realised her hair was covering her face "as if she was thrashing her hair and it covered her face", he said.

Sgt Birchall also noted blood at Ana's nose and her head was tilted back.

There was a ligature or "noose" around her neck and she had three fingers inside it, as if she was "pulling it away".

He checked for signs of life but there were none.

Sgt Birchall said he and his team then removed themselves from the building to allow Garda technical experts to photograph the scene.

In his evidence, Garda Sean White said he was part of the Divisional Search Team searching for Ana.

On May 17, Gda White said he entered Glenwood House in Lucan through the back door. He went through a small porch and into the back kitchen.

Gda White said he then turned left into a "dark room". Gda White said he "initially thought the body was a mannequin". The body was naked and the feet were pointing towards him. He called out and there was no response.

Gda White said he took in his surroundings and the smell of dried blood, and he realised what he had found. He called out to Sgt Birchall and the area was later declared a crime scene.

In his evidence, Detective Garda Seamus O'Donnell, from the Garda Technical Bureau, said he attended Ana's post-mortem on the evening of May 17, 2018.

Gda O'Donnell said Ana was naked except for a pair of black socks. She was wearing fake nails but only three remained.

Gda O'Donnell said a length of Tescon-branded tape was wrapped once around her neck. A long silver necklace with a locket in the shape of a heart was stuck to the tape.

Gda O'Donnell also said there were "small cuts and abrasions all over the body of the deceased".

Gda O'Donnell said he returned to Glenwood House on May 18 and a number of items from the scene were labelled and packaged.

A length of timber and half of a concrete block was then shown by Gda O'Donnell to the court. Both were blood-stained, the garda said, and a nail was protruding from one end of the timber.

Earlier, Detective Garda Eoin Conway, also from the Garda Technical Bureau, said he photographed Glenwood House in Lucan between May 17 and May 20.

Going through a booklet of photographs, which was provided to the jury, Gda Conway said one photograph was of a piece of a stick or "section of a door frame" and another was of a concrete block.

The block had "blood and hair visible on it", Gda Conway said.

The garda also took a number of photographs of exhibits at the Photographic Section of the Garda Technical Bureau.

Gda Conway described a picture he took of a black hoodie top with logos on the sleeves and another picture of a strap top which was "torn down the side" and bottom.

Other items of clothing photographed by Gda Conway included a pair of shorts, a pair of "dusty and dirty" leggings which were recovered "beside the body" and a white bra, which was blood-stained on one side.

Gda Conway also gave evidence that other photographs showed "areas on the carpet and walls where there is blood staining". The trial continues.

Irish Independent