Jury views CCTV footage of Ashling Murphy's final movements

by Eoin Reynolds

The jury in the trial of a man accused of the murder of Ashling Murphy this afternoon viewed footage showing her final movements from when she left work at Scoil Naomh Colmcille in Durrow at 2.37pm and drove to the Daingean Rd car park by the Grand Canal to go for a run.

Det Gda David Harney identified Ashling on CCTV,  wearing a bobble hat, black jacket, scarf, dark leggings and dark shoes going over a footbridge leading to the canal towpath at 2.50pm. The prosecution case is that she died at about 3.30pm.

The trial was also shown CCTV footage, in which Garda Harney said he believes he can see the accused Jozef Puska, in between travelling in the same direction as two women, reach into his pockets and appearing to have "something in his hand" that is ultimately returned to his pocket.

Jozef Puska (33), with an address at Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Co Offaly, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ms Murphy at Cappincur, Tullamore, on January 12, 2022.

The jury of three women and nine men viewed CCTV harvested by gardai from the Tullamore area on the day Ms Murphy died. Det Gda David Harney told Ms Lawlor that 25,231 hours of footage was harvested and that he and nine colleagues were tasked with going through it to find footage they believed relevant to the investigation. They distilled it into a montage showing Mr Puska's movements on the day from 12.25pm to 2.05pm. The defence has accepted that the footage from the early afternoon shows Mr Puska.

The first piece of footage was taken from a national school close to Mr Puska's home in Mucklagh at 12.25om. Det Gda Harney said it shows Mr Puska cycling in the direction of Tullamore wearing a black hoodless jacket with a pair of black tracksuit bottoms that had a white stripe and a Tommy Hilfiger logo down one side. He had a beard and a tight haircut, the garda said.

He said the footage showed Mr Puska traveling around Tullamore town centre and into the Town Park before going onto Church Road in the direction of the Tullamore Retail Park. At 13.33, Gda Harney said Mr Puska can be seen cycling in the same direction as a lady wearing a brown jacket. They both arrived at the Tesco Extra store at the retail park at 13.44 before Mr Puska travelled back in the direction he had come at 13.47.

At 13.53, Gda Harney said Mr Puska could be seen from a camera at a house on Hop Hill Grove. The garda said he watched the clip "over and over again" and believes that he could see Mr Puska reach into his pockets before holding both hands in front of his body for a number of seconds when he "appears to have something in his hand and that item is ultimately returned to the pocket".

At a later point Gda Harney said another lady can be seen crossing Church Road before Mr Puska crossed the road at roughly the same location where she crossed. At 14.03 Mr Puska can be seen going in the direction of the Grand Canal and the Daingean Road Car Park. The last sighting from the first portion of footage was at 14.05 when Det Gda Harney said Mr Puska can be seen in the car park which accesses the canal towpath via a set of steps.

32 minutes later Ms Murphy left Scoil Naomh Colmcille and got into her red Seat car. She travelled along the N52, arriving at the Daingean Road car park by the canal at 2.50pm before continuing to the towpath on foot.

Det Gda Harney showed the jury further footage from 8.55pm that night, which he said he believes shows Mr Puska walking from the Cloncollig area of Tullamore to a house in the Church View estate in the town, arriving at 9.14pm. Gda Harney said he believes two people can be seen at the front door of the house getting into a car that then drove away. Det Gda Harney then showed CCTV footage of a Volkswagen Golf car that he said travelled from Church View to the Charleville Road but was not seen again.

The last piece of footage viewed by the jury was taken from outside Mr Puska's parents' home on the Armagh Rd in Crumlin, south Dublin at close to 1am on the morning of the 13th. Gda Harney said Mr Puska's parents can be seen getting out of a Toyota Prius and walking to the front door of the apartment building, followed by Mr Puska.

The garda noted that Mr Puska had facial hair and his gait "appears to be fine, he appears to be moving normally, freely." He had also changed his clothes from when he was seen previously on CCTV in Tullamore, the garda said.

It is accepted by the defence that the same camera then captured Mr Puska leaving his parents' apartment building at 11.56am the same day. Det Garda Harney described Mr Puska being carried from the building to an ambulance by paramedics.

He arrived at St James's Hospital at 12.13pm. From footage of his arrival at the hospital, Gda Harney said Mr Puska did not appear to have facial hair "at this point".

The trial continues next week in front of a jury of three women and nine men and Mr Justice Tony Hunt.