Courts / Offaly / Report

Jozef Puska gets legal aid for Ashling Murphy murder appeal

Date
2024-04-19

Stage
Appeal

Primary locality
Tullamore

County
Offaly

Summary

Jozef Puska, aged 33, has been granted legal aid to appeal his conviction for the murder of school teacher Ashling Murphy. The Court of Appeal approved legal aid for all 20 applications presented that morning, and Puska will receive the same representation he had at the Central Criminal Court: a solicitor, senior counsel and two junior counsel. His trial concluded with a unanimous jury verdict after he was found to have stabbed Ms Murphy eleven times in the neck and slashed her once with a blade, leaving her to die in the thorns beside the canal towpath. Puska's defence argued that his confession to the Gardaí, made two days after the stabbing while he was under the influence of oxycodone and recovering from abdominal surgery, was involuntary, and objected to the prosecution's use of CCTV footage showing him stalking two women in Tullamore town centre before heading to the canal. Jozef Puska pleaded not guilty. Ashling Murphy pleaded not guilty.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Jozef Puska gets legal aid for Ashling Murphy murder appeal. Charges or matters: murdering Ms Murphy at Cappincur, Tullamore, Co Offaly on January 12th, 2022. Procedural stage: appeal

When:

January 12th, 2022 Hearing Or Sentence
2024-04-19 Publication

Why: No motive has been offered for the killing and lawyers in the case and Ms Murphy's family have stressed repeatedly that there was no connection between Puska and Ms Murphy, despite internet rumours of a connection CNI source report