Courts

Wife and two brothers of Jozef Puska to go on trial in 2025 accused of failing to disclose information to gardaí

Jozef Puska was last year convicted of murdering Ashling Murphy in Tullamore in 2022

From left: Marek Puska, Lucia Istokova and Lubomir Puska. Photographs: Colin Keegan/Collins Dublin

Wed Jan 24 2024 - 18:28

Jozef Puska’s wife and two of his brothers are to go on trial next year charged with failing to disclose information to gardaí investigating the murder of Ashling Murphy.

Ms Murphy (23), a primary school teacher, was stabbed repeatedly in the neck by Puska while out exercising by the Grand Canal in Tullamore, Co Offaly on January 12th, 2022.

Puska, a native of Slovakia, was in November found guilty of her murder and is serving the mandatory life sentence for the crime.

At the Central Criminal Court on Wednesday, Ms Justice Karen O’Connor fixed April 28th, 2025 for the trial of the five accused including Puska’s brothers and wife. Their trials are expected to last up to four weeks and will be heard together.

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Puska’s brothers Marek Puska (34) and Lubomir Puska (35), and wife Lucia Istokova (34), whose addresses cannot be published by court order, are accused of failing to disclose information to gardaí on a date unknown between January 12th and 27th, 2022 at Tullamore Garda station.

Jozefina Grundzova (33) and Viera Gaziova (38) are both accused of impeding the apprehension or prosecution of a person.

Free legal aid for senior and junior counsel was granted to all five defendants, who were not required to attend the court. The matter was then adjourned by Ms Justice O’Connor.

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