Ashling Murphy Murder Trial hears from Jozef Puska's interpreter

Miroslav Sedlacek told the jury he was hired by Gardaí as a translator for two engagements they had with Jozef Puska
Andrew Lowth
Andrew Lowth

15.34 26 Oct 2023


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Ashling Murphy Murder Trial he...

Ashling Murphy Murder Trial hears from Jozef Puska's interpreter

Andrew Lowth
Andrew Lowth

15.34 26 Oct 2023


Share this article


The Ashling Murphy murder trial has heard evidence from an interpreter who translated alleged admissions from Jozef Puska.

33-year-old Jozef Puska with an address at Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Co Offaly, denies murdering the 23-year-old schoolteacher on January 12th 2022.

This morning, translator Miroslav Sedlacek told the jury he was hired by Gardaí as a translator for two engagements they had with Jozef Puska while he was in St James's Hospital on January 14th 2022.

He said these were conducted by phone, and that he spoke to a Garda with ‘the same voice’ on both occasions.

He said that on the first occasion - at around lunchtime - Jozef Puska and Gardaí spoke about his journey from Tullamore to Dublin two days previously, and an alleged fight in Blanchardstown in which Jozef Puska claimed he was stabbed.

In a second call that evening, Mr Sedlacek told the jury a search warrant was being executed at the hospital, and that Jozef Puska later asked him to tell Gardaí “I did it” and that it wasn't intentional.

He described Jozef Puska as being in very low spirits, his voice had changed and that he sounded ‘desperate’.

Under cross-examination, defence barrister Michael Bowman put it to Mr Sedlacek that the search warrant being executed wasn't read out to Jozef Puska in full – which he agreed could have been the case, adding that it was ‘probably a summary’.


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Ashling Murphy Interpreter Jozef Puska Miroslav Sedlacek Murder Trial