The Central Criminal Court said there was a one-in-a-billion chance DNA found on a bicycle near the scene of Ashling Murphy’s death belonged to someone other than the man accused of her murder, reports RTE.
A forensic expert told the court that the profile he took from the handlebars of the bicycle matched DNA taken from two samples taken from Joseph Puska, 33, of Mucklagh, Co Offaly.
Mr Puska has denied murdering 23-year-old Murphy in January last year.
Earlier, the court heard that Puska had asked a Slovak translator to translate his murder statement for GardaÃ.
The translator describes that after Puska’s confession, he was in a bad mood and became desperate.
Recently retired medical examiner John Hoade testified that on January 12, 2022, swabs were taken from the handlebars of a bicycle found in a ditch on the banks of the Tullamore Grand Canal near where Ms Murphy’s body was discovered.
All three profiles fit together, Hoade said, reports RTE.
And he agreed that his conclusion was that there was a one in a billion or so chance that the bike’s DNA came from someone other than Mr. Puska.
The court also heard the testimony of two fingerprint analysis experts.
Earlier, the court heard from interpreter Miroslav Sedlacek, who hails from the Czech Republic and provides translation services in German, Czech and Slovak, he told the court.
On 14 January 2022, he twice provided translation services over the telephone to gardaà officers at St James’s Hospital in Dublin who spoke to Joseph Puska.
He added that the first conversation took place over lunch and, according to Mr. Puska, concerned the attack in Blanchardstown, reports RTE.
Mr Sedlacek said it was between him and Mr Puskar before he had a chance to translate – he said it was quite spontaneous, everything happened quickly.
He said Mr. Puska said he didn’t want to do it, he was very sorry that he did it and it happened.
Mr Sedlacek said he translated word for word to the Garda and the Garda alerted Mr Puska.
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