In a dramatic turn of events at Dublin’s Central Criminal Court, Jozef Puska, the man accused of the murder of 23-year-old schoolteacher Ashling Murphy, took the stand to testify in his own defence. During his testimony, Puska claimed that an unidentified masked assailant attacked him and fatally assaulted Murphy while they were both jogging near Tullamore.
Puska recounted the events, describing the attacker as wearing dark clothing and a face mask, and speaking English aggressively. He expressed his confusion about the motive behind the attack and claimed that the unknown man stabbed him in the stomach before turning his attention to Murphy. Throughout his testimony, Puska consistently maintained his innocence, stating that he tried to assist Murphy but eventually left the scene due to overwhelming stress and fear. He recounted ending up unconscious in a ditch for several hours.
