Court copy by Eoin Reynolds.
Jozef Puska spun a “structure of lies and mistruths” which were “foul and contemptible in their nature” when he told his trial that he tried to save Ashling Murphy, a barrister has told the Central Criminal Court.
In delivering her closing speech to the jury, Anne-Marie Lawlor SC for the Director of Public Prosecutions described Mr Puska as an “inveterate liar” and said that she was reluctant to “give credence to a ludicrous fabricated story” that she said had been told by the accused.
She said that following Mr Puska’s evidence it “feels like we are through the looking glass in terms of foolishness” but, she said, foolishness suggests something benign “and there is nothing benign about these lies. These are contemptible lies to suggest he was trying to save Ashling Murphy when that is patently not what was happening.”
She pointed to evidence that Mr Puska’s DNA was found under Ms Murphy’s fingernails and reminded the jury that “Jozef Puska admitted that he killed Ashling Murphy” before he “pivoted” from that admission in his testimony before the court.
Ms Lawlor said the accused had “spun you an absolute, unequivocal structure of lies and mistruths, some of which I say are absolutely foul and contemptible in their nature and he has done all that in the hope and belief, and I hope forlorn, foolish belief, that he will succeed.
The only rational conclusion is that he murdered Ashling Murphy and there is no reasonable or rational doubt in that regard.
“Ms Lawlor spent about 40 minutes addressing the jury before Michael Bowman SC, for Mr Puska, began his address.
Mr Bowman told the jury that they should be careful in their approach to the case and how they interpret the evidence.
“It is not necessarily as straightforward as the prosecution says it is,” he said. Mr Bowman said the trial is “not about emotion, prejudice or sympathy and it is most certainly not about speculation.”
He said the case had attracted a lot of media attention and they may have heard of rumours of a connection between Mr Puska and Ms Murphy but, he said, “there is no connection whatsoever.”
What happened to Ms Murphy was “without excuse, it is barbaric, it is horrible,” counsel said.
Sympathy “naturally falls” with Ms Murphy and her family who, Mr Bowman said, have sat through the trial with “dignity and composure”.
He said that there is therefore a “danger” that “we all can fall into error”.Mr Bowman is continuing his speech to the jury this afternoon before Mr Justice Tony Hunt and a jury of nine men and three women.
Jozef Puska (33), with an address at Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Co Offaly, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Murphy at Cappincur, Tullamore, Co Offaly on January 12th, 2022.
