The jury in the Ashling Murphy murder trial has heard Jozef Puska told Gardaí "I am the murderer" and asked "will I go for ten years."
Mr. Puska, of Lynally Grove, Mucklagh, Co. Offaly, denies murdering the schoolteacher on January 12th, 2022.
Earlier the court heard Jozef Puska told Det Sgt Brian Jennings ‘I murdered, I am the murderer’ through an interpreter while a search warrant was being executed at St James Hospital.
A phone and a wallet were among the items seized by Sgt Pamela Nugent as outlined in her evidence to the jury this afternoon.
The court heard Det Gda Fergus Hogan had stayed in the room with Mr Puska when both Det sgt Jennings and sgt Nugent left the room.
Det Gda Hogan said the phone call with the interpreter had ended at this point.
He said Jozef Puska said to him ‘I’m sorry, I’m family, 5 kids – I see girl I never see before – I have knife I have use for chain ‘
Det Gda Hogan told Mr Puzka you don’t have to tell me anything – before Jozef Puska added ‘I tell her no I won’t hurt you – when she pass I cut her, I cut her neck, she panic, I panic and then it happened’.
Under cross examination, defence barrister Michael Bowman put to Det Gda Hogan that he told the prosecution that an earlier engagement was concluded despite having more questions to ask.
When asked if Mr Puska looked in discomfort in their second engagement, Det Gda Hogan said he didn’t appear to be, but was upset.
