Ashling Murphy murder trial hears from witness who saw man and woman in struggle on Tullamore path

Ashling Murphy was murdered as she was out for a run.

A woman who was running along the canal walkway on the day that Ashling Murphy was killed in Co Offaly said she came across a man in the hedge who appeared to be crouched over someone. Janice Stack, who is from the Tullamore area, was going for a run with her friend Aoife along the canal and set off at around 3.15pm on January 12 last year. She told the court they noticed rustling in the hedge near a bike, and called out to see if someone needed help.

She said she saw a man who appeared to be crouching over someone and appeared to be “holding her down”. “His face, his teeth were grinding and he shouted ‘get away’,” Ms Stack told the court. “The girl, she was lying on the ground and she was kicking so hard, like she was crying out for help, she was moving whatever part of her body she could to get help.” There was no sound from the girl, she added.

Jozef Puska, 33, with an address at Lynally Grove in Mucklagh, Tullamore has pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder. Barrister for the defence, Michael Bowman SC suggested to the witness that the man seen crouching over the person on the day of Ms Murphy’s death may have been the defendant coming across the scene and “endeavouring to try and assist”. Mr Bowman also suggested to the court that Puska’s recollection is there was an engagement with the witness Jenna Stack, but he could not make out what was being said. Mr Bowman also suggested Puska had not called aggressively but in pain from having his legs cut on the briars. Mr Puska’s recollection is that Ms Murphy was moving, but said it wasn’t in a “scissors motion” that Ms Stack described. Mr Bowman also suggested to the witness that Ms Murphy’s hands could have been on Mr Puska’s forearms as he was trying to stop the bleeding. Ms Murphy replied that she didn’t see that and said she “saw enough” to know that she was in distress and kicking her legs. “That was her cry for help,” she told the court.

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