Trial Hears From Man Who Dropped Jozef Puska Home On Night Ashling Murphy Was Killed
The trial of a man accused of Ashling Murphy's murder has heard from a man who drove Jozef Puska home on the night she died.
Slovakian native and bus driver Rostislav Pokuta – also known as Peter – told the jury that Jozef Puska called to his house in Tullamore at around 9pm on January 12th 2022.
33-year-old Jozef Puska who is charged with the murder of Ashling Murphy.He said Mr. Puska was ‘wet’ and ‘shaking’ and that his face was ‘scratched’, and said he gave Mr. Puska a lift to his home in Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Co Offaly.
Mr. Pokuta claimed Mr. Puska told him he was in a fight in town, but wouldn’t answer questions he had on it – at one stage saying ‘leave it’.
Under cross-examination defence barrister Michael Bowman said Mr. Pokuta gave two statements to Gardaí, in which Mr. Pokuta agreed he hadn’t told the truth in the first one on January 21st.
He said this was because ‘social media was going crazy’, and that he was worried for his family, before he gave a second statement on January 24th.
Mr. Puska denies the charge of murdering Ashling Murphy.
