Facebook and Twitter have been ordered to take down any material that might identify the two boys convicted of Ana Kriegel's murder.

Gardaí also issued a warning earlier today about the consequences of breaching provisions dealing with the issue in the Children Act.

Just after lunchtime yesterday, the two boys were convicted of murdering 14-year-old Ana Kriegel at a derelict farmhouse in Lucan on May 14th 2018.

One of them was also convicted of aggravated sexual assault.

Protection

Both of them are also 14-years-old and their identities were protected throughout the lengthy trial by order of the court and by law.

That protection remains in place for the rest of their lives, and nothing can ever be published which identifies or tends to identity them.

Following concerns raised by Boy B's lawyers that such material was being posted and shared online, a High Court judge has ordered representatives from Facebook and Twitter to come before his court tomorrow.

Mr Justice Michael White also made an order for the social media giants to take down any material which identifies them.

The court has unlimited powers of imprisonment and fine for contempt of court, and a person can also be jailed for up to three years if they break the relevant law.

Content

In a statement, Facebook said it removed content identifying both boys as soon as it became aware it was being shared this morning.

A spokesperson for the social media giant said: “We removed this content immediately for violating our Community Standards and local law,” it said.

“We also applied our photo-matching technology to prevent this content from being re-shared on Facebook, Instagram or Messenger.

“We will continue to remove this content from our platforms.”

Reporting by Frank Greaney