Jozef Puska loses appeal over murder sentence backdating

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Jozef Puska lost his appeal at the Court of Appeal on 16 July 2026 against the date from which his life sentence for the murder of Ashling Murphy was calculated. The proceedings were reported on 16 July 2026.

Puska had pleaded not guilty to murdering Ashling Murphy at Cappincur, Tullamore, Co Offaly, on 12 January 2022. The jury convicted him in November 2023, and trial judge Mr Justice Tony Hunt imposed a life sentence.

Puska went into custody after his arrest in January 2022. Mr Justice Hunt backdated the sentence to the jury’s verdict in November 2023, rather than to the date Puska entered custody.

Puska’s counsel, John Berry, argued that the trial judge had identified no basis for declining to backdate the sentence to the arrest. Delivering the judgment of the three-judge Court of Appeal, presiding judge Patrick McCarthy said the sentencing judge had discretion over backdating and had explained his reasons. The court dismissed the appeal.

On 10 July 2026, Puska’s lawyers told the Court of Appeal that he had abandoned his separate appeal against his murder conviction. Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy acknowledged that the court had received his notice of abandonment.