The defence has finished its evidence in the trial of Joseph Puskar, who pleaded not guilty to murdering 23-year-old Ashling Murphy in Tullamore, Co Offaly, last year, reports RTE.
Tomorrow, the jury will hear closing arguments from prosecutors and defence lawyers and will begin deliberations on Wednesday.
The defence’s final witness was a recently retired NHS consultant, a specialist in emergency medicine and intensive care, reports RTE.
Dr Johan Grändling told the court that when Josef Puska pleaded guilty to murdering Ms Murphy at St James’s Hospital on the evening of January 14, 2022, the only drug that would have had any medical or psychological effect on him was a pain reliever, oxycodone.
The drug is known to cause mild cognitive impairment in healthy people, he said, adding that there was no evidence that Puska was delusional, confused or hallucinating.
This was related to the medications he was taking, the recent surgery, the unfamiliar environment he found himself in, and the language barrier, reports RTE.
He added that this could affect his ability to be interviewed, but the doctor did not assess this.
On cross-examination, Dr. Grundling said he accepted the prosecution’s testimony, Professor Michael Ryan, who testified that the dose of oxycodone still in Mr. Puska’s system would not affect his testimony, was an undisputed and internationally renowned expert in the field of pharmacology and toxicology.
Judge Tony Hunt told the jury they had now heard all the evidence in the case, reports RTE.
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