Irish Daily Star

Evil Puska ‘thinks he’ll win Ashling murder appeal’

‘WALTER MITTY’ MONSTER ‘ARROGANT’ IN PRISON

- ■■John KIERANS

EVIL monster Jozef Puska believes he will be freed once his appeal is heard and has told other inmates: “I didn’t do it, they got the wrong man.”

The brute, convicted of schoolteac­her Ashling Murphy’s murder last year, has shown no remorse for the killing which horrified the nation, according to insiders.

The father-of-five is no longer in protective custody and is sharing a cell with another prisoner because of overcrowdi­ng in jails.

A prison source said: “Puska is adamant that he didn’t do it and is telling everyone who is willing to listen.

“In his own little twisted mind, he feels he has been hard done by and that he will win his appeal.

“He believes he has been set up and that the Gardai got the wrong man. He has not for one second admitted to the crime.

“He is the most arrogant person you could ever meet with a huge sense of entitlemen­t.” The Slovakian was sentenced to life after he was found guilty last November of Ashling’s murder.

The trial heard he stabbed her 11 times while she was out for a run by the canal towpath in Tullamore, Co Offaly, on January 12, 2022. He had denied the charge but his DNA was found on Ashling’s fingernail­s.

He claimed she was attacked by another man and he went to help her but the jury didn’t buy his story.

Drugs

He also initially confessed to the murder two days after the killing when he was questioned by two detectives at St James’s Hospital.

Puska told them: “I did it, I murdered. I am the murderer.” But he later changed his mind, said he never said it, and claimed he was on drugs from an operation for stab wounds.

His lawyer Padraig Langsch said the appeal has been lodged and will go ahead later this year.

Puska had been living in Ireland for more than 10 years and had never come to the Garda’s attention.

It was discovered after his arrest that he had a conviction in his homeland for underage sex with a minor.

He got the Probation Act because he was underage at the time.

Puska got his legal team to use the conviction to stop him from going to Mountjoy and argued he was technicall­y a sex offender.

He was moved to the Midlands Prison which houses sex offenders.

The source added: “This fella is like Walter Mitty, he really thinks he can get away with anything.”

 ?? ?? CAGED: Jozef Puska, who is locked up in Midlands Prison (inset) is due to appeal sentence for murder
CAGED: Jozef Puska, who is locked up in Midlands Prison (inset) is due to appeal sentence for murder
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 ?? ?? INNOCENT: Slain Ashling Murphy
INNOCENT: Slain Ashling Murphy

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