Jozef Puska's wife and brothers charged with withholding information into Ashling Murphy murder case

Jozef Puska (pictured) was given the mandatory life sentence in prison for the murder of schoolteacher Ashling Murphy in Co Offaly last year.

The wife of convicted murderer Jozef Puska has been sent forward for trial to the Central Criminal Court charged with withholding information into the investigation of the killing of Ashling Murphy.

Puska’s wife Lucia Istokova, 34, was one of five people to appear before Tullamore District Court on Wednesday afternoon in relation to the investigation into the murder of Ms Murphy. Two of Puska’s brothers have also been charged with withholding information into the murder investigation and have also been sent forward for trial to the Central Criminal Court.

Two other women also appeared before Judge Andrew Cody during a hearing which lasted just 12 minutes at Tullamore District Court.

Garda Stacey O’Brien gave evidence of serving the book of evidence to each of the five defendants. None of the five spoke during the hearing other than to confirm their name. A Slovakian language interpreter was in court to assist the accused people.

Marek Puska at Tullamore District Court. Picture: Colin Keegan/Collins Dublin

All five, who were represented in court by solicitor David Powderly, were granted free legal aid. A previous bail condition prevents the publication of the addresses of the five defendants.

Puska’s wife Lucia Istokoca is charged with that on a date unknown between January 12, 2022, and January 27, 2022, at Tullamore Garda Station, that she "did fail without reasonable excuse to disclose as soon as was practicable to a member of the Garda Síochána information which you knew or believed might be of material assistance in securing the apprehension, prosecution or conviction of Jozef Puska for a serious offence, to wit murder of Ashling Murphy contrary to common law that occurred on January 12, 2022, at Grand Canal Way, Cappincur, Tullamore, Co Offaly".

Puska’s brothers, Marek, 34, and Lubomir, 35, Puska, faced similar charges.

Jozefina Grundzova, 33, and Viera Gazoiva, 38, are both accused of impeding the apprehension or prosecution of a person, "whereas another person having committed an arrestable offence, namely the murder of Ashling Murphy contrary to common law, you knowing or believing that the said person to be guilty of the said offence or some other arrestable offence did without reasonable excuse an act with intent to impede the apprehension or prosecution of the said person".

Viera Gazoiva at Tullamore District Court where she and four other co-accused were handed a book of evidence in connection with withholding information and impeding the prosecution of Jozef Puska. Picture: Colin Keegan/Collins Dublin

Judge Cody remanded all five defendants on continuing bail and sent each of them forward to the next sitting of the Central Criminal Court.

Last month, Jozef Puska was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Tullamore teacher Ashling Murphy, who was stabbed multiple times after she went for a run along the Grand Canal Way in Cappincur near Tullamore in Co Offaly on the afternoon of January 12, 2022.