A 13-year-old boy charged with the murder of Kildare schoolgirl Ana Kriegel has applied for bail in the High Court.

The accused cannot be identified because of his age.

The body of 14-year-old Ana Kriegel was found in a derelict farmhouse in Lucan, Co Dublin on May 17th.

The schoolgirl had been reported missing three days before that.

A 13-year-old schoolboy was charged with her murder on May 25th, and has faced three court appearances before the Children's Court.

That court remanded him in custody to the Oberstown Children's Detention Campus.

On Wednesday morning he faced his fourth court appearance - this time at the High Court, where he applied for bail.

He was accompanied by his parents and his grandfather, as well as barrister Niall Nolan and a solicitor.

The boy was allowed to sit with his family but did not address the court.

Inspector Garda Mark O'Neill, who is leading the investigation, objected to bail.

Judge Robert Eager reserved judgement and will hand down his decision on whether the boy will get bail or not on Friday afternoon.

He imposed strict reporting restrictions on the proceedings.