The trial of Jozef Puska has heard from a man who discovered Ashling Murphy's body on the day she died.
33-year-old Mr. Puska of Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Co. Offaly, denies murdering Ms. Murphy on the 12th of January, 2022.
Some readers may find the following details distressing.
Enda Molloy was the first person to see Ashling Murphy laying in a hedgerow after the alleged attack.
He described her as ‘motionless’ and said he got down to shout to get her attention, but he got no response.
Mr. Molloy went down to the area along the grand canal in Tullamore, Co Offaly, after two women, who also gave evidence today, said they saw a man attacking a woman.
One of those, Jenna Stack, described seeing a man crouched over a woman in the same area while she was out running with her friend Aoife Marron.
She told the jury that she shouted at the man ‘what are you doing?’
She then described the man turning his head with gritted teeth and saying ‘get away’.
Under cross-examination, defense barrister Michael Bowman put it to Ms. Stack that he was instructed that Ms. Murphy had reached out and had both hands on Mr. Puska’s forearm because he was trying to stop bleeding on her neck.
Ms. Stack said ‘no, I knew there was something wrong, I could tell by her.’
Ms. Marron also gave evidence this afternoon.
She said she saw the top of a man’s head, but agreed that she didn’t have a great view of what was in the hedgerow.
