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Irish Examiner
4 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Satchwell guilty of murder: Here's what the jury didn't hear
TRIAL MOVED TO DUBLIN Richard Satchwell's trial was initially scheduled to sit in his home county of Cork but, due to the "intense publicity" surrounding the case, his lawyers applied late last year to move the trial to the capital. The move was resisted by the State, who pointed out that much of the publicity was generated by Satchwell himself. In November last year Brendan Grehan SC, for Satchwell, said that as the media attention was concentrated in Cork, it would be "impossible to retain an impartial jury" there who had not heard of the case and formed "adverse views of Mr Satchwell". Mr Grehan said that most trials can be held in local venues but some generate media attention that can be "macabre" and lead to "greater hostility than it is possible to imagine in an ordinary case." Satchwell's preference, Mr Grehan said, was for the trial to be held in Limerick so it would be closer to the prison where he was being held. "He has a position of responsibility there, which enables him to be a productive prisoner," counsel told the court. Gerardine Small SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, opposed the change of venue, arguing that publicity around the case was national, not local. File picture: Collins Courts Gerardine Small SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, opposed the change of venue, arguing that publicity around the case was national, not local. Also, she said, much of that publicity was generated by Satchwell who "sought the attention of the media" by appearing on radio and television shows. Ms Small pointed to Satchwell's appearances on RTÉ's Prime Time, TV3's Ireland AM, the Ray D'Arcy Show and the numerous interviews he gave to journalists. She added: "It is an unusual factor that it [the media attention] can be attributed to the accused man while he was aware the body of his wife was buried where it was." Mr Justice Paul McDermott agreed to change the venue to Dublin, due to the significant risk of an unfair trial. He said: "The high degree of local coverage and engagement with the case takes it out of the ordinary." 'SOMEWHAT OF A SIDE SHOW: TWEETS AND CHARGINGS' During the trial and in the absence of the jury, Mr Grehan applied to exclude Satchwell's "cryptic" reply of "Guilty or not guilty, guilty" when he was formally charged with the murder of Tina on October 13, 2023. Counsel said a second part of the application - which was "somewhat of a side show" - was connected to the fact that a member of the press - Paul Byrne, formerly of Virgin Media News - tweeted that Satchwell was going to be charged before gardaí had actually done so. He said Superintendent Anne Marie Twomey had received directions from a legal officer at 7.28pm to charge Satchwell with the murder of his wife and he was formally charged at 8:07pm on October 13. Mr Grehan said Mr Byrne had tweeted at 8.03pm that "a man in his 50's had been charged with the murder of Tina Satchwell" - four minutes before his client was formally charged. Counsel said Michael O'Toole, of The Irish Daily Mirror and Irish Daily Star, had "retweeted" at 8.09pm from the handle @mickthehack that "Richard Satchwell had been charged with the murder of his wife". A number of gardaí who were called to give evidence in the voir dire denied that they had contacted anyone in the media but accepted that Mr Byrne had tweeted about it several minutes in advance and that Mr O'Toole had named Satchwell as being charged two minutes after it occurred. Mr Grehan said it was "implicit" that contact was made with a number of people in the media "to enable them to do their job". Counsel also submitted that Satchwell should have been informed that he could consult with his solicitor before the charging process took place and was entitled to legal advice "at this critical juncture". "It vitiated the process and the court should not permit the fruits of the charging to be now available to the prosecution," he added. Richard Satchwell's Senior council Brendan Grehan (left) and solicitor Eddie Burke. During the trial and in the absence of the jury, Mr Grehan applied to exclude Satchwell's 'cryptic' reply of 'Guilty or not guilty, guilty' when he was formally charged with the murder of Tina on October 13, 2023. Photo: Niall Carson/PA He said the defendant's solicitor Eddie Burke had left the garda station at 7.07pm that evening and didn't arrive back until 8.10pm - three minutes after the charging took place. The lawyer said his client's reply after caution was more prejudicial than probative and would create difficulties in terms of how the jury could be properly directed. In reply, Ms Small said Satchwell, who was interviewed by gardaí on 10 separate occasions, had a "full appreciation of his entitlement not to say anything" in reply to the caution and was acutely aware of this. The defence, she said, was claiming there is an entitlement to have a solicitor present on charging and she wasn't aware of any such entitlement. She said the entitlement was to legal advice, which Satchwell had received "in abundance". She called the media tweets "completely irrelevant". In his ruling, Mr Justice McDermott said the defendant's reply was fully voluntary and found that the absence of a solicitor in the garda station had not impaired the fairness of the process. He refused to exclude the reply to charge. DIRECTION TO REMOVE MURDER CHARGE FROM INDICTMENT When the prosecution's case was at an end, Mr Grehan applied to the judge to withdraw the charge of murder against his client, submitting there was no evidence of an intention to kill or cause serious injury, which he said was "a huge lacuna" in the State's case. "It is one of the elements of the offence of murder which the prosecution have to adduce evidence of, which they have singularly failed to do," he argued. He said Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster couldn't give a cause of death due to a very long post mortem period and had confirmed there were no broken bones in Tina's body. He said she wasn't able to conclude anything about the state of the organs due to the lapse of time. Mr Grehan said there was an explanation available to the jury as to how death was caused in the case without the evidence of the pathologist or anthropologist and that explanation was given by his client, where Satchwell said the belt of Tina's bathrobe had been held up against her neck until she collapsed. Counsel said this was the only account available as to what happened to Tina and was of "immense importance" as there was no evidence of violence discovered in the post mortem. Counsel said it was significant that Tina's hyoid bone was unfractured. He said there was also no medical evidence to say that his client's account of holding Tina off with a restraint against her neck before she collapsed suddenly was not possible. In a ruling, Mr Justice McDermott said Richard Satchwell's (pictured) immediate response was to create a false impression that Tina was alive and he had taken every conceivable step to protect himself. File photo: Brian Lawless/PA In reply, Ms Small submitted that there was "a wealth of evidence" from the surrounding circumstances in the case from which intent could be inferred. Counsel said the deception began on March 20, 2017, very shortly after Satchwell killed Tina and the plethora of lies were an acknowledgement of guilt. Ms Small said a limited post mortem examination was conducted because the defendant had buried his wife in a manner to ensure the cause of death wasn't available. She added: "There is also motive on his own account, Satchwell says she is threatening to leave him. She has wasted 28 years of her life, that is all part of the evidence for the jury to accept or not." Mr Grehan said the lies told were not sufficient to show intent for murder. Referring to motive, he said there was also clearly a basis for which Tina might have wanted nothing further to do with her husband and attacked him in that manner. In his ruling, Mr Justice McDermott said Satchwell's immediate response was to create a false impression that Tina was alive and he had taken every conceivable step to protect himself. He said Satchwell told lie after lie "to any journalist who'd indulge him" and portrayed a scenario that his wife had deserted him suddenly without any explanation. Mr Justice McDermott said Satchwell had shown a degree of malevolence towards his wife and the defendant was totally focused on protecting himself from discovery. There had been, he said, a period of six prolonged years before Tina's body, of which Satchwell had disposed of, was found and this was relevant to the issue of intention. He said it was a matter for the jury as to whether Satchwell had formed the requisite intent and whether he was guilty of his wife's murder. He rejected the application to withdraw the murder charge. APPLICATION TO DISCHARGE THE JURY At the very end of the trial, when Mr Justice McDermott had finished charging the jurors, Mr Grehan said on foot of instructions from his client he "regrettably" had to seek the discharge of the jury. Counsel voiced his opposition to the tone of the charge, which he said was intended to "nudge" the jurors towards a guilty verdict. Counsel said he became increasingly concerned as the charge proceeded that it was not resembling a charge but a "second prosecution speech" in terms of the emphasis the court was placing on the State's case to the detriment of the defence. Mr Grehan told the judge he had not put the defence case in full at all to the jury. He said the two separate tasks of directions on the law and a summary of the evidence had become "intermingled" and submitted there was no balance in what had been said to the panel. "The whole emphasis of what was said to the court seemed to be to reiterate the prosecution case," he argued. Richard Satchwell's Senior council Brendan Grehan (left) and solicitor Eddie Burke. Mr Grehan had sought the discharge of the jury on foot of instructions from his client. Photo: Niall Carson/PA Mr Grehan said the facts of the case "shouted and screamed for themselves" in terms of what Satchwell did and didn't do. "They are not facts that need to be nudged or pushed for the jury in any particular way". Counsel said it was beyond remedy at this stage and the court should discharge the jury. Ms Small called Mr Grehan's application "wholly inappropriate", describing the charge as balanced, fair and extremely comprehensible. "The criticism is unfounded, a court will rarely outline all the evidence, that is a matter for the jury". In his ruling, the judge said this was a difficult case in which to sum up the evidence for the jury and he didn't accept that his charge was "so wildly unbalanced". He disagreed that the absence of references to certain parts of the evidence in any sense justified the jury being discharged. Mr Justice McDermott refused the application but did give the jury further directions in relation to two matters of which complaints were made, one relating to the detailed evidence of Lorraine Howard concerning her half sister Tina, the other to evidence that Satchwell loved or was "besotted" with his wife. Read More How a concrete patch under the stairs in Youghal revealed Tina Satchwell's tragic fate
Sunday World
6 days ago
- Sunday World
Jozef Puska's brother denies telling someone to dispose of murder knife, jury hears
LATEST | Lubomir Puska Jnr told gardaí that he asked Jozef what had happened to him, to which his brother replied that he had wanted to kill himself and he had done a 'horrendous thing'. Lubomir Puska. Photo: Collins Courts The jury also heard that Lubomir Puska Jnr (37) denied that he had asked anyone to dispose of the clothes worn by his brother on the day Jozef Puska murdered Ms Murphy. Jozef Puska (35) attacked Ms Murphy (23) on the canal towpath at Cappincur in Tullamore on January 12, 2022. She died having suffered 12 sharp force injuries to her neck, eleven of which were stab wounds. Puska's brothers Lubomir Puska Jnr and Marek Puska (36) are charged with withholding information, knowing or believing that the information might be of material assistance in securing the apprehension, prosecution, or conviction of Jozef Puska for a serious offence involving loss of human life or serious personal injury to another. Josef Puska Both men have pleaded not guilty to the offences, which are charged under the Offences Against the State, Amendment Act 1988. 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 between January 12 and 14, without reasonable excuse, intending to impede the apprehension or prosecution of Jozef Puska, knowing or believing him to have committed the offence of murder or some other arrestable offence within the same category or of a similar nature. They have pleaded not guilty to the offences, which are charged under the Criminal Law Act 1997. All the accused have an address at Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Tullamore, Co Offaly. The jury previously heard that in his first statement to gardaí, Lubomir Jnr said he first saw his brother Jozef in the early afternoon that day. He seemed "a bit sad, not in a good mood," Lubomir Jnr said. He told gardaí that he left the house at about 11.30 and did not see his brother again. However, he later returned to the garda station and made a second statement, in which he apologised for lying and said that when Jozef arrived home on the night of January 12, it looked like he had been struck on the forehead. The jury at the Central Criminal Court today watched video footage of Lubomir Jnr's interview with gardaí on January 18, 2022, in which he said he returned home on the day Ms Murphy was murdered to find his brother Jozef looking 'like he was beaten by someone'. Ashling Murphy Through a Slovakian interpreter, Lubomir Jnr said that Jozef 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,' as though something had happened to him. He told the gardaí that his brother, who was just out of the shower, opened the towel he was wearing to reveal three stab wounds. 'He looked drunk, but he wasn't drunk,' said Lubomir Jnr. He told gardaí that he asked Jozef what had happened to him, to which his brother replied that he had wanted to kill himself and he 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 that Jozef 'probably wanted to push her away to leave him alone', but he thought that Jozef 'cut her with the knife'. After telling the gardaí this, the accused said it had been 'very heavy, very hard to say'. 'I never said anything like that in my life,' said the accused. Lubomir Puska. Photo: Collins Courts News in 90 Seconds - May 28th He told gardaí that he could not believe what his brother was telling him, so he asked him again what he had done. He said that Jozef 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 said that he would tell them but only after they brought him to Dublin. The accused said he told his brother to tell their parents everything and 'don't make any secrets'. In a further interview, the accused told gardaí that he thought Jozef had his clothes in the bathroom with him. When asked if anyone removed those clothes, he said that he did not know. Detective Garda Joanne O'Sullivan gave evidence to prosecution counsel Sean Gillane SC of the accused's next interview with gardaí, conducted on January 26, 2022. Read more In this interview, it was put to the accused that someone had asked his wife to move Josef's clothes and put them beside the bin. 'I don't know who it was, it wasn't me,' replied the accused. In a further interview on January 27, 2022, it was put to the accused that when he knew Jozef had murdered Ms Murphy, he 'bundled him up and sent him to Dublin' before giving instructions to dispose of the clothes. The accused denied this and also denied that he had asked anyone to dispose of the knife. The trial continues tomorrow before Ms Justice Caroline Biggs and a jury of seven men and five women.
Extra.ie
24-05-2025
- Extra.ie
Jozef Puska's brother told gardai pain medication to blame for 'memory lapse', court hears
Jozef Puska's brother told gardaí investigating the murder of Ashling Murphy that he wanted to tell them more but couldn't due to medication he was on for back problems, which had left him on disability allowance. Marek Puska, 36, is accused of withholding information crucial to the investigation into Ms Murphy's murder. He is on trial with his brother Lubomir Puska Jr, 35, also accused of withholding information. Marek Puska. Pic: Collins Courts Their wives, Jozefina Grundzova, 31, and Viera Gaziova, 38, are accused of impeding Jozef Puska's apprehension or prosecution by burning the clothes he wore when he murdered Ms Murphy. Each accused has pleaded not guilty. Yesterday, Detective Garda Cian Steers told prosecutor Anne-Marie Lawlor that on January 14, 2022, two days after Ms Murphy's murder, Marek agreed to give a voluntary statement at Tullamore Garda Station. He described how the family ended up in Ireland with three brothers, their wives, and 14 children all living in one house in Mucklagh, Tullamore. He described the recent months as 'golden times, the best of times', and added: 'I swear to God, everyone says they don't see a family like this getting on… We sit and talk and don't argue. Viera Gaziova and Lubomir Puska. Pic: Collins Courts 'The kids are at the top of everything and get everything,' he said. He and Jozef, he said, were on disability allowance due to back problems. On January 12, the day of the murder, Marek got up at his usual time of about 12.30pm. Jozef was not home, which was unusual, and he hadn't taken his phone. Marek went into Tullamore to search for Jozef. He visited a casino where Jozef would sometimes go and a plaza near the Bank of Ireland. When he still couldn't find Jozef, he went to a Garda station to report his brother missing and the local hospital to ask if anyone named Jozef Puska had checked in. Marek said he went to Dublin that evening but returned to Mucklagh the following day by bus. As he pulled up to the house, he noticed gardaí. A Polish garda told him that 'someone from my house had killed someone,' he said. Marek Puska and Jozefina Grundzova. Pic: Collins Courts He said nobody who knows his family would say they could kill someone. At the end of the statement, Marek said: 'I want to tell you a bit more, but I can't because of the medicine I have taken [for his back]. My doctor told me it can affect my memory.' He promised to contact gardaí if he remembered anything else, adding: 'I want to help.' Jozef Puska. In cross-examination, Detective Garda Steers agreed with defence counsel Karl Finnegan that at the start of the statement, Marek accurately described Jozef Puska's bicycle and immediately identified the bike when shown a photograph. Detective Garda Joanne O'Sullivan told Ms Lawlor that in the following days, gardaí became aware that Marek Puska wished to make a further voluntary statement. On the evening of January 18, gardaí took Marek to Mullingar Garda Station because all the interview rooms in Tullamore were in use. Ashling Murphy. The jury was previously told that Jozef Puska was arrested at 11.31am on January 18. Marek told Garda O'Sullivan that when he and Lubomir Jr were looking for Jozef on January 12, they received a phone call around 9pm telling them their brother was at home and in a 'poor state' having been 'beaten up'. He said Jozef had injuries and blood on his head, 'like he had been hit', and three holes in his abdomen. Later on the night of January 12, Marek said his parents arrived in Tullamore and Jozef left with them to go to their Dublin house. It is alleged that Marek failed to disclose that Jozef had returned home on the night of Ashling's murder with visible injuries and admitted to killing or causing serious injury to a woman. It is further alleged that he knew of the arrangement to burn Jozef's clothes and that Jozef Puska travelled to Dublin later that night. Lubomir Puska Jr, it is alleged, also withheld that Jozef returned home with visible injuries, admitted to 'cutting a female', and travelled to Dublin. Both men have pleaded not guilty to the offences, which are charged under the Offences Against the State, Amendment Act 1988. Ms Grundzova, married to Marek Puska, and Viera Gaziova, 38, married to Lubomir Puska Jr, pleaded not guilty to the offences, which are charged under the Criminal Law Act 1997. All the accused have an address at Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Tullamore, Co. Offaly. The trial continues on Monday before Judge Caroline Biggs and a jury of seven men and five women.
Sunday World
19-05-2025
- Sunday World
Jozef Puska's relatives accused of burning his clothes after he murdered Ashling Murphy
On trial are Jozef Puska's brothers Marek (34) and Lubomir (35) and their wives Jozefina Grundzova (31) and Viera Gaziova (38) The trial has begun of two brothers and their wives, who are accused of withholding information or assisting Jozef Puska after he had murdered 23-year-old school teacher Ashling Murphy in Tullamore three years ago. Ms Justice Caroline Biggs at the Central Criminal Court swore a jury of five women and seven men to hear the trial, which is expected to last up to five weeks. Ms Justice Biggs told the jury that Jozef Puska (35) murdered Ms Murphy in January 2022 close to a canal in Tullamore. He was tried and convicted of her murder. Ms Justice Biggs said this trial relates to the alleged actions of Jozef Puska's family members in the immediate aftermath of that murder. Marek Puska and partner Jozefina Grundzova arriving at Central Criminal Court today (Photo: Collins Courts) On trial are Jozef Puska's brothers Marek (34) and Lubomir (35) and their wives Jozefina Grundzova (31) and Viera Gaziova (38), who have addresses in Mucklagh, Tullamore, Co Offaly. Lubomir Puska is charged with withholding information by failing, without reasonable excuse, to tell a member of An Garda Siochana as soon as was practicable that Jozef Puska returned home to Mucklagh on the night of January 12, 2022 with visible injuries and admitted to "cutting" a female with a knife. It is further alleged that he failed to disclose that Jozef Puska travelled to Dublin that night. Ashling Murphy Marek Puska is also charged with withholding information about Jozef Puska's visible injuries, that he had admitted to "killing or seriously injuring" a female with a knife and that he travelled to Dublin that night. Marek Puska is further alleged to have been aware of an arrangement to burn clothing worn by Jozef Puska at the time of the murder. The charges against both brothers state that they knew or believed that the information they allegedly withheld might be of material assistance in securing the apprehension, prosecution, or conviction of Jozef Puska for a serious offence involving loss of human life or serious personal injury to another. Both men have pleaded not guilty to the offences, which are charged under the Offences Against the State, Amendment Act 1988. Jozef Puska Jozefina Grundzova, who is married to Marek Puska, and Viera Gaziova, who is married to Lubomir Puska, are accused of assisting in burning clothing between January 12 and 14th, without reasonable excuse, intending to impede the apprehension or prosecution of Jozef Puska, knowing or believing him to have committed the offence of murder or some other arrestable offence within the same category or of a similar nature. Ms Grundzova and Ms Gaziova pleaded not guilty to the offences, which are charged under the Criminal Law Act 1997. The trial will begin with an opening statement by the prosecution tomorrow.
Sunday World
13-05-2025
- Sunday World
Beautician ‘naive' when she tried to help ex evade arrest after shooting, court told
'BLIND EYE' | Dominic McGinn SC, for Rachel Redmond (35), said that despite his client's plea of not guilty, she now accepts the jury's verdict and understands why they convicted her Rachel Redmond (File photo: Collins Courts) Dominic McGinn SC, for Rachel Redmond (35), said that despite his client's plea of not guilty, she now accepts the jury's verdict and understands why they convicted her. Counsel asked for leniency for Redmond, the younger sister of career criminal Robert "Roo" Redmond, with the court hearing she once worked in security for the Saudi Arabian embassy. Mr McGinn said the relationship with Cooney "fed into her behaviour" and prevented her from "realising what would have been abundantly obvious to everyone else". Redmond wrote a letter of apology to the family of Jordan Davis, who Wayne Cooney shot dead in an execution-style killing on May 22, 2019 at a laneway beside Our Lady Immaculate Junior National School in Darndale on Dublin's northside. Mr Davis was pushing his four-month-old son in a pram when Cooney cycled up behind him and fired eight shots, three of which struck him, causing immediate death. A child who happened to be cycling through the laneway was just metres away when Cooney started firing. Cooney fled the scene on his bicycle and went to a bus stop near the Clarehall Shopping Centre, where Rachel Redmond arranged to pick him up in her friend's car. That night, she arranged for Cooney to stay at the Clayton Hotel. A jury convicted Redmond, from Coolock but with an address at Cliftonville Avenue, North Belfast, Co Antrim, of attempting to impede Cooney's apprehension or prosecution while knowing or believing him to have committed murder. Following her conviction, she shouted from the dock: "I didn't do it though, I didn't do anything." Jordan Davis She had taken the stand at her trial, saying that she did not know what Cooney had done, that she was in love with him and was unable to see the bad in him. Mr McGinn yesterday told the court that Redmond now accepts the jury verdict. He asked Mr Justice Paul Burns to consider that, despite his client's efforts to impede the investigation, gardai did arrest Wayne Cooney and he was convicted of murder. Redmond was, counsel said, "perhaps naive, blinded by the relationship and turned a blind eye rather than deliberately setting out to commit a crime." Asking for leniency, Mr McGinn pointed out his client's "solid work record" over her adult life. She has worked as a beautician, including for the IFSC and Aer Lingus. She has also worked in security for the Saudi Arabian embassy and for the psychiatric unit at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin. Mr McGinn handed in testimonies from Redmond's mother, father and a former employer. Wayne Cooney The testimonials refer to her as a "hard-working, kind, loving young lady" for whom these offences are "very much out of character", Mr McGinn said. Mr Justice Burns adjourned the matter to next Monday to deliver sentence. In April, 2024 Rachel Redmond's brother, Robert 'Roo' Redmond, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to murder Jordan Davis. Text exchanges showed that Robert Redmond was demanding Mr Davis repay him a drug debt of €70,000. In one exchange, 19 days before Cooney carried out the murder, Robert Redmond warned Mr Davis: "I'm on your case mate, it won't be long" and "soon, very soon bang bang". Rachel Redmond (File photo: Collins Courts) News in 90 Seconds - May 13th A career criminal, Robert Redmond had 99 previous convictions, including two counts for possession of firearms and ammunition with intent to endanger life. In 2022, Robert Redmond received the mandatory term of life imprisonment for murdering father-of-eight Barry Wolverson (40) at Madigan's Yard, Kileek Lane, Swords, Co Dublin on January 17, 2020. Following Rachel Redmond's trial, the jury took seven hours and 33 minutes over three days to unanimously accept the State's case that she drove Cooney away from the scene and later checked him into the Clayton Hotel near Dublin Airport on the night of the murder. Read more
