A woman told the trial of Joseph Puskar how she saw him on top of Ashling Murphy and thought he was going to rape her before he shouted at her to “get away.”
Jenna Stack told the trial of Mr Puska, accused of murdering Ashling Murphy, how she saw Mrs Murphy “kicking so hard” and said it looked like she was “crying out for help” as she said he held her 12 January 2022, in a blackberry patch along the Grand Canal in Tullamore, Co. Offaly, in the afternoon of 2022.
Ms Murphy (23) was killed while jogging along the canal near Cappincour in Tullamore that day.
Prosecutor Anne-Marie Lawlor was asked what her plans were for the day – Ms Stack replied that she had agreed to meet Aoife at 3.10pm and judging by her watch they left at 3.15pm.
Ms Stack commented that it was a “really nice bike” and wondered what he was doing there before continuing to ride.
“We only went another couple of feet when we heard a lot of rustling in the hedgerow. It was quite distinctive,” Ms Stack told the court, reports The Mirror.
“It was like somebody was struggling to be honest. I thought maybe someone had fallen off the bike and were in trouble. I think I might have shouted” are you ok, what are you doing. At that point then this man, he turned. He was crouched over something,” she said, reports The Mirror.
His teeth, she said, were “gritted” and this “kind of facial expression. It was kind of terrifying to be honest,” reports The Mirror.
Describing the man, she said his eyebrows were “quite distinct” and his face showed receding dark spots and receding hairlines.
“He was definitely still crouched over, holding her down,” she told the court. “His face, his teeth, they were kind of grinding and he shouted “get away,” reports The Mirror.
“He said something else at the time but I couldn’t remember what it was. There was a second person underneath him. I saw from kind of halfway down her thighs. Her legs, she was kicking so hard. She was crying out for help. She was kicking like a scissors. She was moving with whatever part of body she could,” reports The Mirror.
“At that point when I saw what was happening. I thought this guy was going to rape her to be honest. I said to him I have my phone on me, I’m calling the guards, get off her,” reports The Mirror.
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