The BelTel

The murder of 14‑year‑old Ana Kriegel remains one of the most disturbing crimes in Irish history. In May 2018, Ana was lured from her home by a local boy. Three days later, her body was found in a derelict house – naked and violently assaulted.Two boys, just 13 years old at the time of the killing, were the youngest in the State to be tried, and convicted, of murder. Eight years on, Irish Independent court reporter Eimear Cotter reflects on the horrific murder of Ana Kriegel and the public outrage that followed. 

Five years ago, the DUP was in largest party in Northern Ireland, lurched to open civil war. The party had been led by Ian Paisley for 37 years – but an unprecedented outbreak of factional politics saw three different leaders in just 50 days.  The middle one, Edwin Poots, lasted a total of just 33 days. To explain the background to the DUP’s woes and their long-term effect, Ciarán Dunbar joined by the Belfast Telegraph’s political editor, Suzanne Breen 

An access hatch on the inlet to a culvert in which Noah Donohoe was found should have been locked six months previously, an inquest into his death has heard. But the jury also heard the storm drain was in good condition and had no history of unauthorised accessThe 14-year-old’s body was discovered in north Belfast on June 27, 2020, six days after he went missing. A post-mortem examination found the likely cause of death was drowning. The inquest into his death, which is being heard before a jury, is now in its 14th week.  Liam Tunney reports. 

Sinn Féin are still top of the polls north and south – but all polls show the party has lost ground. Many commentators think Sinn Féin have lost their direction and sense of purpose. So - has Sinn Féin really lost its mojo and what can it do about it?   Ciarán Dunbar is joined by politics lecturer and commentator David McCann to discuss what Sinn Féin will have to do to hold its ground ahead of the 2027 Northern Ireland Assembly elections.  

A report has lambasted ‘institutional misogyny’ in PSNI over failings in the Katie Simpson murder investigation. Police officers on the case were responsible for a catalogue of basic failures including not preserving evidence, missing forensic opportunities, dismissing key witness statements, failing to secure phones or even photographing her injuries. 21-year-old Katie from Tynan, Co Armagh, died almost a week after an incident in Lettershandoney. Police originally thought she had taken her own life. But a year later, Jonathan Creswell was arrested. Creswell’s trial ended in April 2024 after he took his own life following the first day of proceedings. The Belfast Telegraph’s Crime Correspondent, Allison Morris, joins Ciarán Dunbar. 

In the 1990s, DUP leader Ian Paisley railed against the peace process, denouncing it as a sellout. But newly declassified documents reveal that some of his lieutenants, including Gregory Campbell, held in fact much more moderate views that those they professed publicly. East Londonderry MP Gregory Campbell has always presented himself as a hardliner who has long been known for tough rhetoric and even gratuitous insults. But formerly secret files from the UK’s archive in Kew have revealed a different side to him and that he and other senior DUP figures were keen to play a part in the peace talks, with NIO officials regarding them as key DUP moderates. The Belfast Telegraph’s Northern Ireland editor, Sam McBride, joins Ciarán Dunbar.  

This is a bonus episode of In Good Company with Cathy Martin, The Belfast Telegraph's new business and lifestyle podcast. Conor Ferguson is an Olympic swimmer who’s faced heartbreak by the narrowest of margins – missing out on the 2016 Rio Olympics by five hundredths of a second, and Tokyo in 2020 by four tenths.  But rather than stepping away, he’s turned what some might perceive as adversity into innovation, now co-founding Athlete Hub – a tech startup using AI to help athletes optimise every part of their performance.   If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to keep up with In Good Company, releasing every Tuesday, wherever you get your podcasts.https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/podcast-series/in-good-company/

Julia Holmes was born as Cecilia McKitterick in Castlederg, County Tyrone. After leaving Northern Ireland when she was 19, she eventually settled in Texas, where she started her career as a scam artist - using more than 40 names to dupe her targets into handing over huge sums of money. She posed as countless aliases, including a minister and a psychologist. After being deported home for her crimes, she continued her scams, until she was found dead in 2015 alongside her partner, in what appeared as a suicide pact. Ciarán Dunbar is joined by Gillian Halliday.