A 33‑year‑old man, Jozef Puska, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of 23‑year‑old school teacher Ashling Murphy, who was allegedly killed near the Grand Canal in Tullamore on 12 January 2022. The trial will be held at the Central Criminal Court and is expected to last up to five weeks. A jury of twelve, sworn this afternoon, will hear the case. Judge Tony Hunt warned potential jurors that they must not have engaged in commentary about the case online or on social media and that any prior knowledge of Puska's hospital stay at St James's Hospital in Dublin should be disclosed. The prosecution will present witnesses from the Tullamore area, the midlands, various Dublin Garda stations and forensic science laboratories, with medical personnel possibly called to give evidence. The defence will be represented by Michael Bowman SC. The trial is scheduled to open tomorrow.
The Central Criminal Court will hear the murder trial of 32‑year‑old Jozef Puska, accused of killing 23‑year‑old schoolteacher Ashling Murphy on 12 January 2022 in Cappincur, Tullamore. Puska, who lives at Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Co Offaly, is represented by Michael Bowman SC. The judge, Mr Justice Tony Hunt, will preside. Once the jury is empaneled, the trial is expected to last about four weeks. Murphy, a recent graduate of Mary Immaculate College, was jogging beside the Grand Canal when she was allegedly fatally assaulted.
The Central Criminal Court trial of 32‑year‑old Jozef Puska, accused of murdering 23‑year‑old teacher Ashling Murphy in Offaly, has been postponed to the autumn. Puska, who lives in Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, was charged with the fatal assault that occurred on 12 January 2022 while Murphy was jogging along the Grand Canal near Tullamore. The trial, originally scheduled for 7 June, was delayed after the State received an expert report from the defence and the prosecution needed time to respond and obtain a further report. Prosecutor Ms Anne Marie Lawlor SC requested the June date be vacated and the case be listed for the first day of the Michaelmas term on 2 October. The judge set a new trial date of 2 October 2023 and agreed to renew an application for a Slovakian interpreter. The case will be mentioned again on 21 July for a pre‑trial management hearing.
The Central Criminal Court has set a trial for 32‑year‑old Jozef Puska, accused of murdering 23‑year‑old school teacher Ashling Murphy in Offaly. The alleged killing occurred on 12 January 2022 when Ms Murphy was fatally assaulted while jogging along Fiona's Way, a stretch of the Grand Canal near Tullamore. Puska, who lives at Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, is charged with murder and will stand trial on 6 June. The court will reconvene on 31 March for a progress update. The case is expected to last up to four weeks.
Jozef Puska, 31, of Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Co Offaly, has been charged with the murder of 23‑year‑old primary school teacher Ashling Murphy, who was fatally assaulted while jogging along the Grand Canal in Tullamore on 12 January 2022. Puska is scheduled to stand trial at the Central Criminal Court in June 2023. At a brief hearing today, defence solicitors Padraig Langsch & Co were allowed to come on record after the Director of Public Prosecutions did not object. Puska was not present at the hearing. The trial is expected to last three to four weeks.
A 31‑year‑old man, Jozef Puska of Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Co Offaly, is charged with the murder of 23‑year‑old primary school teacher Ashling Murphy, who was fatally assaulted while jogging along the Grand Canal in Tullamore on 12 January 2022. Puska is accused of murdering Murphy at Cappincur, Tullamore. His defence counsel, Rebecca Smith BL, informed Judge Paul McDermott that Puska will appear by video‑link and that a Slovakian interpreter is required for all court dates. The judge set 6 June 2023 as the trial date before a jury at the Central Criminal Court, with the case expected to last three to four weeks and all disclosure to be made within four months of that date. Puska was remanded in custody after a brief hearing and was sent forward for trial on 6 April after being served with the book of evidence. Free legal aid was granted for the trial.
An Offaly man was sentenced to 240 hours community service at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court following his conviction for assaulting a garda in Tullamore on 12 March 2012. Enda Carroll, aged 23, of The Willows, Mucklagh, was found guilty of assault causing harm, resisting a peace officer, and two public order offences. The court heard that during a public order incident on William Street, Carroll refused gardaí directions and made threats toward Garda Lucy McLoughlin before attacking her. He subsequently picked her up by the leg and slammed her against a shop front, causing a tear to her hip joint and cartilage damage to her knee. The garda required two operations and was absent from duty for 18 months. Judge Carmel Stewart imposed the community service order in lieu of a two-year prison sentence, noting Carroll's written apology and engagement in training to improve his employment prospects. She warned that non-compliance with probation directions would result in activation of the custodial sentence.