Appeal court refuses further backdating of Puska sentence

The Court of Appeal has refused to backdate Jozef Puska's life sentence for the murder of Ashling Murphy for a further 22 months, bringing an end to legal proceedings relating to his conviction.

Puska was sentenced to life in prison for murdering Ms Murphy on 12 January 2022 as she walked along the canal near her home in Tullamore, Co Offaly.

The sentencing judge, Tony Hunt, backdated the sentence to the date on which the jury delivered its guilty verdict in November 2023, but he refused to backdate it further to his arrest in January 2022.

The judge took into account factors such as the seriousness of the case, Puska’s "indescribable" evidence and the suffering caused to Ms Murphy’s family in his decision.

Defence Counsel, John Berry argued the date on which the sentence began would have an impact on any decision made by the parole board when they consider Puska’s case in the future.

He said the discretion of the judge in backdating a sentence should not apply in the case of a mandatory life sentence.

Prosecution Counsel, Anne Marie Lawlor said the judge had discretion and gave appropriate reasons for his decision.

Giving the Appeal Court’s decision, Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy said the judge had taken the view that this was a case of the utmost seriousness, and this was a perfectly relevant factor for him to take into account.

He said the trial judge had a discretion and articulated the reasons for his decision and there was no error in his judgment.

Last week, Puska abandoned his bid to overturn his conviction for the murder of the 23-year-old schoolteacher.

Today’s proceedings mark the end of the case.

Puska, who was not present in court, will continue to serve his mandatory life sentence.