Wife and brothers of killer Jozef Puska to go on trial tomorrow
Marek, 34, and Lubomir Puska, 35, are charged with withholding information that could have led to the arrest or prosecution of their brother Jozef Puska for the murder of 23-year-old schoolteacher Ashling Murphy in January 2022.
Puska's wife Lucia Istokova, 34, is also charged with withholding information on a date unknown between January 12, 2022 and January 27, 2022 at Tullamore Garda Station.
All three are accused of failing without reasonable excuse to disclose as soon as was practicable to a member of An Garda Siochana information which they are alleged to have known or believed might be of material assistance in securing the apprehension, prosecution or conviction of Jozef Puska for the murder of Ashling Murphy.
The offences are contrary to Section 9 of the Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act 1998.
The trio are set to appear before Judge Paul McDermott in the Central Criminal Court on Monday morning.
They have all been on bail since being charged and first appearing before Tullamore District Court in December 2023.
Jozef Puska is currently serving a life sentence for Ms Murphy's murder after a lengthy and highly publicised trial in 2023.
Two other women have also been charged in connection with the same case - but with separate offences. Jozefina Grundzova, 31, and Viera Gazoiva, 38, are charged with impeding the apprehension of Jozef Puska.
Both women are accused of committing the offence on a date unknown between January 12, 2022 and January 14, 2022 at an address in Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Co Offaly.
In particular where another person committed the murder of Ms Murphy, she's accused of knowing or believing that person to be guilty of the said offence or some other arrestable offence and without reasonable excuse acting with intent to impede that person's apprehension or prosecution.
The offence is contrary to Section 7(2) and (4) of the Criminal Law Act, 1997.
Jozef Puska brutally stabbed Ms Murphy 12 times and sliced her neck in a random and shocking attack while she was out for a run at the canal in Tullamore.
His sentence came after harrowing and extremely powerful victim impact statements from Ms Murphy's partner Ryan Casey, her mother Kathleen, and sister Amy.
Mr Casey became tearful and emotional throughout his powerful speech, in which he turned to the killer sitting in the dock and said: 'I don't care where you end up, or what happens to you after today.
'But you smirked, you smiled, and you showed zero remorse throughout this trail, which sums up who you really are, the epitome of pure evil, but one thing is for sure, you will never ever harm or touch another woman ever again and when your day of reckoning comes, may you be in hell a whole half hour before God even knows you're dead.'
In her own victim impact statement, which was read out by family liaison officer Sergeant Lucy McLoughlin, Ashling's mother Kathleen told of a heartbreaking final conversation she had with her daughter on the day she was killed - warning her not to go running by the canal.
'Before she left that morning, Ashling told me she was going to be home from school a little bit later that afternoon.
'She was going for a jog on the canal line after work. I begged her not to go there as it has always made me feel ill at ease and asked her to go jogging out near home.
'She responded, 'Ah mum, I am 23 years old.' She gave me a big hug as she said, 'I love you, you're the best mum in the world,' and walked out the door,' she said.
'As a parent you want your child to go out into this world and live a full and meaningful life yet being acutely aware of how fragile their safety is, wanting to protect them. I couldn't protect my darling Ashling and now she's gone forever.'
Ashling's sister Amy said she was haunted by the thought that no one was able to save her sister - and how she fought for her life.
Speaking directly to Puska, who refused to look at her, she said: 'I agonise over whether you had already inflicted your first blow before she was hurled off the canal pavement.
'Had you time to place your bike down into the ditch as you knew she had already sustained a fatal injury and the rest was yet to come.
'Ashling's last 10 minutes on this earth must have felt like the longest 10 minutes of her existence as she fought for her life. You stole her life, you took her voice, you robbed us of our family of five.'
Following the incredible statements, Judge Tony Hunt said there was nothing further that he could add.
He told the court that Puska's sentence was 'richly deserved' before saying that the one question that remains unanswered is 'the why.'
He said that "unless that becomes known, the question of your safe return to society must be an open one."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Daily Mirror
18 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Student, 20, accused of 14 counts of rape and sexual assault of male
A 20-year-old student has been charged with multiple counts of rape and sexual assault of another male in Dublin four years ago. The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was aged 16 and a juvenile, at the time of the sexual abuse over a three month period in 2021. He was arrested yesterday and charged with six counts of rape and eight for sexual assault at a specific address in south Co Dublin. He appeared before Judge John Brennan at a late sitting of Dublin District Court. Detective Garda Liam Conway said the young man replied "No" when each charge was put to him. The court heard that the Director of Public Prosecutions has directed that the man would face "trial on indictment". That means, due to the nature of some of the charges, he will be tried in the Central Criminal Court. Detective Garda Conway confirmed that the accused was a minor when the alleged offences occurred and there was no objection to bail provided he obeyed a series of conditions. Judge Brennan ordered him to provide gardaí with a contact phone number, remain contactable at all times, notify them of any address change, sign on at a north Dublin Garda station, and surrender his passport. Furthermore, he told the man that it was as conditions of bail that he must not communicate with the complainant, directly or indirectly, including by social media. Defence counsel Kevin McCrave consulted with the accused who did not address the court, before telling the judge that his client consented to those terms. Judge Brennan warned there would be consequences for breaching them and the barrister stressed that he would explain that to his client, who has yet indicate a plea. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week Bail was set at €750 and he was ordered to appear at the Children's Court in September to be served with a book of evidence and returned for trial to the Central Criminal Court. Legal aid was granted after the court heard the accused was a student, on social welfare and unemployed. Sign up to the Irish Mirror's Courts and Crime newsletter here and get breaking crime updates and news from the courts direct to your inbox.
Irish Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Garda probe after terrified horse crashes into car during funeral procession
WARNING: Some readers may find the following content distressing. An Garda Siochana has stated that animal welfare matters are 'taken seriously' as they continue to investigate a road traffic incident involving a car and a horse-drawn sulky that occurred during a funeral procession on Monday. This comes after we reported on Tuesday how shocking footage emerged of the terrified horse crashing head first into a car as the sulky handler loses control of the animal on a busy Dublin road during the funeral procession of a road traffic victim. In a statement to Irish Mirror on Thursday, a spokesperson for An Garda Siochana said: 'Gardaí received a report of a road traffic collision involving a car and a sulky that occurred on Coldcut Road, Clondalkin, Dublin 22 at approximately 1.45pm on Monday, August 10 at approximately 1.45pm. 'No injuries to persons were reported. A vet attended the scene and treated a horse which survived the collision. Gardaí in Ronanstown are investigating this incident and are liaising with the relevant animal welfare organisations. The spokesperson continued: 'An Garda Síochána has Animal Health & Welfare Liaison Inspectors nominated in each Garda Division, who liaise as necessary with the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA), and veterinary surgeons employed by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine to assist members of An Garda Síochána in their duties. 'Local animal charities also provide valuable assistance to Gardaí. Although An Garda Síochána is not the lead agency for animal welfare, we take animal welfare matters seriously and encourage anyone with concerns for the safety and welfare of animals in their area to contact their local Garda Station or call the Garda Confidential Line at 1800 666 111." The dramatic footage shows a number of people driving carts and sulkies with horses We also reported on Tuesday how this shocking incident has led to an animal rescue charity calling for a Garda-led Animal Welfare Crime Unit empowered to investigate and act. The dramatic footage showed a number of people driving carts and sulkies with horses and several more riding horses on Colcult Road in Clondalkin, Dublin 22 near Liffey Valley Shopping Centre alongside a horse and carriage hearse on Monday, August 11. Two other people on horses are seen galloping along the green verge of the road as a number of vehicles including a bus pass in the opposite lane of the road. One of the horses and carts then passes out the hearse as the horse canters at speed along the road - and a person on the cart is heard shouting 'No, no' and uses their hand to try and direct traffic out of the way. The horse and cart break a red light as the driver of the cart continues to shout 'No, no,' as it approaches a junction at Liffey Valley Town Centre. The horse then crashes head first into the back passenger door of a silver car that travels from Liffey Valley Town Centre. An almighty bang is heard as the horse crashes into the car while the driver of the cart shouts 'F**king hell,' before the video stops with the horse lying on the road. It's understood the shocking incident happened on Monday, August 11. In a second video, seen by Irish Mirror, captioned: 'Very very lucky I was,' shows the horse with his head and face swollen and stitched up. A person is heard saying 'Appreciate that,' as they hold a container of medication. Another person is heard saying: 'He has a good chance of healing there now if you mind him.' A spokesperson for My Lovely Horse Animal Rescue charity condemned the incident calling it 'lawlessness and cruelty.' The charity is now calling for a Garda-led Animal Welfare Crime Unit; increased and sustained funds for rescues and modern, enforceable laws to protect animals and the public. 'On Monday in Clondalkin, a funeral procession of a road traffic victim became chaotic,' the spokesperson said. 'Horses galloping along footpaths, sulkies and traps weaving through traffic. Then, the crash. A terrified horse ran into moving vehicles. Left bleeding, with a deep cut across its head, lying on the tarmac as gardaí arrived. 'This is the reality. Road Traffic Act breaches – no regulation, no insurance, no roadworthiness. Public safety is ignored – pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers put at serious risk. Animal welfare – exhausted, terrified animals, injured in plain sight. This is not 'tradition'. This is lawlessness and cruelty,' the charity's spokesperson said. The charity is now calling for a Garda-led Animal Welfare Crime Unit empowered to investigate and act. 'Increased, sustained funding for rescues – because we're the ones picking up the pieces. Modern, enforceable laws – to protect animals and the public. See something. Say something. Animal cruelty is a crime,' the spokesperson said, encouraging the public to sign their petition to demand urgent action. 'Every share, signature, and euro makes a difference. Let's make sure this doesn't happen again,' the spokesperson said. For more of the latest breaking news from the Irish Mirror check out our homepage by clicking here
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
The Irish Times view on the report on roads policing: a matter of life and death
The Crowe report into Roads Policing, commissioned by An Garda Síochána and published yesterday , makes for grim reading. At a time when road deaths have been rising, it paints a picture of an essential policing function hampered by weak management, inadequate resources and, in some quarters, a worrying absence of professional commitment. The review found striking disparities in productivity between divisions, with some officers recording twice as many 'Lifesaver' detections - speeding, intoxicated driving, mobile phone use, and failure to wear seat belts – as others. While many gardaí in the Roads Policing Units are described as dedicated and effective, a minority are openly disengaged, sometimes to the point of disabling equipment or avoiding patrols altogether. Underlying this, according to the report, is a flawed interpretation of the Garda's Performance, Accountability and Learning Framework (PALF), which is seen as preventing supervisors from monitoring individual performance. This, combined with fear of industrial relations fallout, has created a culture in which poor work habits go unchallenged. The operational picture is equally troubling. Too much time is devoted to static checkpoints – often close to base and at predictable times – leaving remote areas under-patrolled and missing opportunities for intelligence-led enforcement. Vehicles and vital equipment are often outdated. READ MORE These are not minor management quibbles; they are matters of life and death on the country's roads, and of public confidence in policing. The report recommends a transformation plan addressing supervision, staffing, training, equipment and operational priorities, led by a senior officer. When new Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly takes up office in September, he cannot let this report gather dust. Acting swiftly on its recommendations will be essential both to reversing the rise in road fatalities and to restoring public faith in the professionalism of the force. On the evidence presented, delay would not just be damaging – it would be dangerous.
