Latest news with #CoOffaly
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Irish Times
Alex Dunne regains lead in Formula 2 drivers' championship
Ireland's Alex Dunne has retaken the Formula 2 drivers' championship after a solid showing at the Spanish Grand Prix by the Rodin Motorsport driver. The 19-year-old from Co Offaly came second in Saturday's sprint race at Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, earning him nine points which saw him overtake Hitech TGR's Luke Browning in the drivers' standings. Holding a four-point championship lead heading into Sunday's feature race, Dunne started from fifth on the grid and remained P5 by the chequered flag, earning him a further 11 points from the weekend. Dunne, who is part of McLaren's driver development programme, now holds a three-point lead over MP Motorsport's Richard Verschoor, who finished Sunday's race P3, while race winner Arvid Lindblad jumped to third on 79 points. READ MORE Rodin Motorsport sit fifth in the team standings, currently led by Spanish team Campos Racing. Dunne has taken two feature race wins so far this season, coming in the second and fourth rounds in Sakhir and Imola respectively. Eight race weekends remain in the 14-event F2 season, which will finish alongside the F1 championship in Abu Dhabi on the first weekend of December.
Irish Times
7 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Could the disappearance of Fiona Pender finally be solved?
Nearly thirty years ago, in August 1996, 25-year-old Fiona Pender disappeared and was never seen again. Detectives have always believed Ms Pender, who was seven months pregnant when she vanished, was murdered on the day she was last seen alive. However, her remains have never been found. Earlier this week, gardaí announced the case had formally been upgraded to a murder investigation and began a search and excavation operation at Graigue near Killeigh village in Co Offaly. Gardaí are now carrying out a second search operation in Co Laois . What does the upgrade to murder inquiry mean for the investigation and why are gardaí suddenly conducting new searches? READ MORE And what do we know about the primary suspect in the case? Crime and security editor Conor Lally discusses the latest developments in the case. Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Suzanne Brennan.
Irish Times
28-05-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Jozef Puska revealed three stab wounds on night of Ashling Murphy murder, court hears
Jozef Puska's brother denied to gardaí that he told someone to dispose of the knife used to murder schoolteacher Ashling Murphy, the Central Criminal Court has heard. The jury also heard Lubomir Puska jnr (37) denied he asked anyone to dispose of the clothes Jozef Puska wore when he murdered Ms Murphy. Jozef Puska (35) attacked Ms Murphy (23) on the canal towpath at Cappincur in Tullamore on January 12th, 2022. She died having suffered 12 sharp force injuries to her neck, 11 of which were stab wounds. He was convicted of her murder. His brothers Lubomir Puska jnr and Marek Puska (36) are charged with withholding information while knowing or believing it might materially assist in apprehending, prosecuting or convicting Jozef Puska for a serious offence. READ MORE Both men have pleaded not guilty. Jozefina Grundzova (31), who is married to Marek Puska, and Viera Gaziova (38), who is married to Lubomir Puska jnr, are accused of assisting in burning clothing without reasonable excuse, intending to impede the apprehension or prosecution of Jozef Puska, knowing or believing him to have committed murder or a similar arrestable offence. They have pleaded not guilty. All the accused have an address at Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Tullamore, Co Offaly. The jury previously heard Lubomir Puska jnr said in his first statement to gardaí that he saw his brother Jozef Puska in the early afternoon on the day of the murder. He seemed 'a bit sad, not in a good mood' , Lubomir Puska jnr said. However, he later returned to the Garda station and apologised for lying, saying Jozef Puska arrived home on the night of January 12th looking like he had been struck on the forehead. The jury on Wednesday watched video footage of Lubomir Puska jnr's interview with gardaí on January 18th, 2022, in which he said he returned home on the day of the murder to find his brother Jozef Puska looking 'like he was beaten by someone'. Through a Slovakian interpreter, Lubomir Puska jnr said Jozef Puska was 'swollen on the forehead' and his cheek was red like he had been scraped. He said his brother had 'a weird walk, kind of broken'. He told gardaí his brother, who was just out of the shower, opened his towel to reveal three stab wounds. He told gardaí he asked Jozef Puska what had happened to him, and his brother replied that he had wanted to kill himself and had done a 'horrendous thing'. 'He said when he was stabbing himself, there was a girl running or exercising, she went towards him,' the accused told gardaí. 'She said: 'What are you doing? Don't do it, you are too young.' He said to her, 'Leave me alone, it's my life, my business.'' The accused said Jozef Puska 'probably wanted to push her away to leave him alone', but he thought he 'cut her'. After telling the gardaí this, the accused said it had been 'very heavy, very hard to say'. [ Brother of Ashling Murphy murderer told gardaí back medication was affecting his memory Opens in new window ] He told gardaí he could not believe what his brother was telling him, so he asked him again what he had done. He said his brother told him: 'I don't know whether I hurt her so much, but I think I did ... it must have been an accident, I didn't want to do this, but I just switched my hand as she was coming near me.' The accused said he told his brother to tell their parents immediately what he had done, to which Jozef Puska said he would tell them after they brought him to Dublin. The accused said he told his brother 'don't make any secrets'. The trial continues on Thursday before Ms Justice Caroline Biggs and a jury of seven men and five women.
BreakingNews.ie
28-05-2025
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Search begins in Laois as part of Fiona Pender murder investigation
A search on open ground in Co Laois has begun on Wednesday as part of the investigation into the disappearance and murder of Fiona Pender. Gardaí announced last week that they would excavate lands in Co Offaly as part of their investigation into the disappearance of Fiona Pender almost 30 years ago, which has been upgraded to a murder probe. Advertisement On Wednesday, they announced open grounds in Co Laois would be subjected to excavation, technical and forensic examinations. Garda during a search operation that was launched on open ground in Tullamore, Co Offaly, over the disappearance of Fiona Pender (Niall Carson/PA) Ms Pender, who was aged 25 and seven months pregnant when she went missing, was last seen at around 6am on August 23 1996 at her flat in Church Street in Tullamore, Co Offaly. Over the past 28 years, An Garda Síochána said they have carried out various inquiries and collated 300 statements of evidence and a number of exhibits. 'Investigating gardaí continue to appeal to any person with any information in relation to the disappearance of Fiona in the early morning of Friday 23rd August 1996, who has not spoken to Gardai, to please come forward and speak to our investigation team,' a Garda statement said. Advertisement Fiona Pender, 25, was seven months pregnant when she went missing almost 30 years ago (Irish Police/PA) 'Gardaí continue to appeal to any person who may have previously come forward who felt they could not provide gardaí with all the information they had in relation to this matter, to contact the investigation team again. 'An Garda Siochana appeals to anyone with any information, no matter how small or insignificant you might believe it to be, to contact Tullamore Garda Station on 057 932 7600, or any Garda Station. 'Anyone who wishes to provide information confidentially should contact the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.'
Irish Times
28-05-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Gardaí begin second search in Fiona Pender murder investigation
Gardaí investigating the murder of Fiona Pender in Co Offaly in 1996 have started a second search and excavation operation, in a bid to find her remains, in Co Laois. It is the second such operation of the week after a two-day search at another location, near Tullamore, Co Offaly, was concluded on Tuesday afternoon. Detectives have always believed Ms Pender, a 25-year-old who was seven months pregnant when she vanished, was murdered on the day she was last seen alive in August, 1996. They believe her remains were concealed in the region to cover up the killing. The Garda announced on Monday the case had been upgraded from a missing person's inquiry to a murder investigation and that a search and excavation operation was underway at Graigue near Killeigh village, Co Offaly. READ MORE After that operation was concluded on Tuesday, a second search was begun on Wednesday morning close to Clonaslee, Co Laois, in the Slieve Bloom mountains. A search was conducted in that general area in 2008, though nothing of evidential value was found. 'This area of land will be searched and subject to excavation, technical and forensic examinations,' the Garda said in a statement on Wednesday morning. 'This search forms part of a sustained investigation carried out by Gardaí in Laois-Offaly Garda Division over the last 28-years to establish Fiona's whereabouts and to investigate the circumstances in which Fiona disappeared.' Gardaí have also encouraged anyone with information about Ms Pender's disappearance, especially those who may have felt unable to come forward since 1996, to contact the investigation team in Tullamore Garda station. Ms Pender, a hairdresser, was last seen at her flat on Church Street early in the morning of Friday, August 23rd, 1996. She had spent the previous day shopping with her mother and had bought clothes for her baby. Gardaí do not believe she had any plans to leave the area and suspected foul play from the outset. In 1996, vast tracts of land were searched and sections of Grand Canal were drained during the first wave of investigation in Co Offaly. However, no trace of Ms Pender has been found and nobody has been charged despite five arrests taking place in 1997. In 2008, another search operation was carried out in woods near Mountrath, Co Laois, when a cross with Ms Pender's name was found there. Six years later another search took place in the Slieve Bloom mountains, Co Laois, after a woman known to the suspect nominated it as potentially Ms Pender's burial site, though nothing was found.
