Man due to be sentenced for Irish teacher's murder

Image source, Comhaltas Ceolt贸ir铆 脡ireann/PA

Image caption, Aisling Murphy, 23, was a primary school teacher and a talented folk musician
At a glance
  • Josef Puska was found guilty of Ashling Murphy's murder last week
  • He attacked and repeatedly stabbed the 23-year-old as she jogged along a canal in the Republic of Ireland
  • The jury took only a few hours to deliberate on their verdict
  • The judge said there was "evil in the courtroom"

A man found guilty of murdering schoolteacher Ashling Murphy in the Republic of Ireland is due in court for sentencing on Friday.

The 23-year-old was attacked and repeatedly stabbed in the neck as she jogged on the banks of the Grand Canal near Tullamore in County Offaly on 12 January 2022.

The killing of Ms Murphy caused widespread shock, prompting vigils across Ireland and the UK.

Jozef Puska, 33, from Lynally Grove in Mucklagh, County Offaly, was found guilty by a unanimous jury at a court in Dublin last week.

The jury took only a few hours to deliberate after hearing three weeks of evidence.

Image source, PA

Image caption, Jozef Puska was found guilty of murder by unanimous jury

Puska, a Slovak national, had pleaded not guilty.

He claimed in court he was trying to help Ms Murphy after she had been attacked by another man, who went on to stab him too.

After they delivered their verdict trial judge Mr Justice Tony Hunt told the jurors there was evil in the courtroom.

He said he was glad they had not wasted any more of their valuable time with Puska's nonsense "because that's what it was".

The family of Ms Murphy, who was a talented folk musician, family wept in the courtroom as the judge spoke.

Her mother Kathleen held a framed picture of her murdered daughter.