Ana Kriegel murder - Her parents will suffer for longer

Whatever sentence the two 15-year-old boys will receive for the murder of 14-year-old Ana Kriegel in Dublin in May last year, it is unlikely to match the misery and loss and pain that will be suffered by her parents.

In her powerful and moving victim impact statement read out at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin on Tuesday, Ana’s mother, Geraldine, said life without Ana was not even an existence, but a misery they must endure for the rest of their lives.

What was extraordinary about Geraldine’s words was that they were overwhelmingly a tale of love and loss.

There was very little bitterness expressed towards the teenage boys who took Ana’s life in such a brutal fashion. She describes the arrival of Ana, who was born in Russia and adopted by her and her French husband, Patric, in a loving manner.

The happiest day of our lives was the 10th of August 2006, the day the court declared that we could become the parents of Ana, who we felt was the most wonderful child in the world.

She then speaks about the cold fear she and her husband felt when Ana didn’t come home on May 14 of last year.

“The saddest day of our lives was 17 May 2018 – three days later — we heard those dreaded words that no parent wants to hear.“