Ireland New date set for Jozef Puska's appeal against murder conviction of Ashling Murphy
Jozef Puska's appeal against his conviction for the murder of schoolteacher Ashling Murphy in Tullamore, Co Offaly, has been rescheduled to 15 July 2026 after his barristers withdrew less than a week before the original hearing. Judge Isobel Kennedy at the Court of Appeal also listed a case management hearing for 15 May 2026.
- Reportednot reported
- Arrestednot reported
- Chargednot reported
- In court24 Apr
- Verdict
- Sentenced
Key facts
consolidated from all reports20 statements extracted from the articles
- whatMurphy was 23 years old. (irishtimes.com)
- whatPuska attacked and stabbed Murphy repeatedly in the neck. (irishtimes.com)
- whatThe jury found Puska stabbed Murphy 11 times in the neck. (irishtimes.com)
- whatHe slashed her once with the edge of a blade. (irishtimes.com)
- whereThe murder occurred along the canal towpath outside Tullamore, Co Offaly. (irishtimes.com)
- wherePuska's last address is Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Co Offaly. (irishtimes.com)
- whereHe left her to die in thick thorns and brambles by the side of the canal towpath between Tullamore town and Digby Bridge. (irishtimes.com)
- whenThe murder took place on 12 January 2022. (irishtimes.com)
- chargePuska pleaded not guilty to murdering Murphy at Cappincur, Tullamore. (irishtimes.com)
- courtJudge Isobel Kennedy fixed 15 July as the new date for the conviction appeal. (irishtimes.com)
- courtJohn Berry confirmed he had come on record to represent Puska. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe judge listed the matter for case management on 15 May. (irishtimes.com)
- courtPuska has been granted legal aid for his appeal on the same basis as his trial representation. (irishtimes.com)
- courtThe appeal may run into a second day. (irishtimes.com)
- sentencePuska is serving a life sentence for the murder of Murphy. (irishtimes.com)
- otherPuska is 35 years old. (irishtimes.com)
- otherA monument now stands where Murphy died. (irishtimes.com)
- otherHe was captured on CCTV cycling the same bicycle around Tullamore earlier that afternoon, stalking two women before heading towards the canal. (irishtimes.com)
- otherWhen gardaí spoke to Puska the day after the murder, his face and hands were covered in scratches consistent with crawling through thorns and briars. (irishtimes.com)
- otherPuska told detectives he stopped working in 2017 after slipping a disk in his back. (irishtimes.com)
The reporting
newest first- 24 Apr2026New date set for Jozef Puska’s appeal against conviction for murder of Ashling Murphy
Reports that Judge Isobel Kennedy at the Court of Appeal set 15 July 2026 as the new date for Puska's conviction appeal after barristers Karl Monahan and Michael Bowman withdrew on 17 April 2026. John Berry has come on to represent Puska. Case management is listed for 15 May 2026. The article also provides detailed background on the murder, including the 11 stab wounds to the neck, the green and black bicycle, CCTV footage, and DNA evidence.
victim, Ashling Murphy, 23, female, irish (judged from name)Ashling Murphyconvicted, Jozef Puska, 35, male, named, non-irish (judged from name)Jozef Puska