The jury in the Ashling Murphy murder trial has heard Jozef Puska told Gardaí ‘I am the murderer’, and asked ‘will I go for 10 years’.
Mr. Puska, of Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Co Offaly, denies murdering the schoolteacher on January 12th 2022.
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Earlier the court heard Jozef Puska told Detective Sergeant Brian Jennings ‘I murdered, I am the murderer’ through an interpreter while a search warrant was being executed at St. James Hospital.
A phone and a wallet were among the items seized by Sergeant Pamela Nugent as outlined in her evidence to the jury this afternoon.
The court heard Detective Garda Fergus Hogan had stayed in the room with Mr. Puska when both Detective Sergeant Jennings and Sergeant Nugent left the room.
Detective Garda Hogan said the phone call with the interpreter had ended at this point.
He said Jozef Puska said to him ‘I’m sorry, I’m family, 5 kids – I see girl I never see before – I have knife I have use for chain.‘
Detective Garda Hogan told Mr. Puska you don’t have to tell me anything – before Jozef Puska added ‘I tell her no I won’t hurt you – when she pass I cut her, I cut her neck, she panic, I panic and then it happened’.
Under cross examination, defence barrister Michael Bowman put to Detective Garda Hogan that he told the prosecution that an earlier engagement was concluded despite having more questions to ask.
When asked if Mr. Puska looked in discomfort in their second engagement, Detective Gda Hogan said he didn’t appear to be, but was upset.
